The First Cycle
by TheLoneStar6
Summary: A short novelization covering the first three days of Link's journey within the land of Termina. Seventh story in my "Tales of Termina" series.


The muted sunlight just managed to shine through the twisting branches of the Lost Woods. It didn't matter how brightly the sun shone; it was never able to properly penetrate the leafy barriers of the seemingly infinite trees. Nobody, not even the Kokiri of the forest, knew just how large the Lost Woods truly were. The sole being that knew had been weakened and killed by a dark parasite two years ago. Until the new sprout formed, the secrets of the woods would be a mystery to all the world. Even the bravest of the forest spirits dared not travel too deeply into the trees until the new Deku Tree was born. There was an outsider, however, that threw caution to the wind and braved the unknown. All in search of someone irreplaceably precious to him.

Soft footfalls of a young filly were the only things breaking the silence of the forest. Slowly, the animal weaved her way through the trees as her rider gently guided her path. A young boy of twelve that donned the green clothes of the Kokiri Tribe, though he was not a member of it. He never truly was, and he never, ever would be. The boy realized this long ago, but that wasn't going to stop him from searching the woods or wearing the outfit he had worn his entire life.

"Just a bit further, Epona. We'll stop to rest soon." The boy, Link, whispered to his companion as he reached forward and gently patted her neck. "Ten more minutes. Alright?" One of the few childish quirks he still possessed was talking to Epona as if she could understand him perfectly. Just about everything else that made a kid a kid was wrung out from him long ago. Either way, the horse gave a soft snort, as if in response to what Link had said.

The two rode on in silence, Link's voice having gone hoarse due to all the yelling. Shouting Navi's name for hours on end took a toll on his throat and it needed rest. It had been over a week since the Hylian departed into the woods, looking for his long-lost Guardian Fairy. No, even calling her that wasn't even accurate. She had been his companion and friend, but she could never really be his Guardian Fairy. It made Link concerned how all the fairies he came across in the Lost Woods, the ones that would stop and talk to him at least, had no idea where Navi was. None of them had seen her in two years.

Was Navi really even in the Lost Woods at all? Link was starting to question this excursion of his, wondering if Navi hadn't perhaps gone somewhere outside of Hyrule. Why would she, though? Link realized he didn't want to think about this anymore. He stopped Epona at that moment, patting her on the neck once more. "Change of plans. We'll rest now." Getting another soft snort in response, Link got off of his companion and hugged her around the neck. "I got one apple left, you hungry?" Reaching into his bag, Link got out his last apple and offered it to Epona who accepted it graciously. "There you go…" He murmured, giving his friend one last pat on the neck and giving her a small smile.

After that, the young boy shed his gear by a nearby tree, getting ready to rest and have something to eat himself. He tried to travel relatively light, not wanting to burden Epona too much, but spending a month straight in the lost woods demanded certain precautions. First to go off was the Kokiri Sword that he had kept for so long before shedding the shield gifted to him by Zelda for the journey ahead. The Lost Woods weren't as dangerous as in the alternate timeline, but it still held nasty and unknown creatures, so those were essential. The only other weapons Link brought were his bow and a quiver of arrows, though that was mostly for hunting.

Link was a rather skilled forager to the point where it was his role in the Kokiri community. On sight he could tell whether any berry, fruit, or mushroom seen in the Lost Woods was edible or not. Still, he couldn't survive a month off of just berries or mushrooms, and fruit trees short enough to safely climb were rare in the forest. Most of the trees went up so high that their branches were hardly even visible. While eating meat was not a problem for Link, he rather enjoyed the taste of Cucco, he didn't like the actual act of hunting himself. He detested having to actually go and kill again, but if he wanted the energy to keep going, he'd need meat. Thankfully, his arching capabilities were honed enough where he could consistently kill off the rabbits found inside the forest painlessly.

With the Hylian was a bag full of different pouches for the various tools he'd need for his long trip. He had promised his friends, who had almost begged him not to go, a time limit. If one month had passed without success, he would give up the search. At least temporarily. Inside the bag was a small knife, useful mainly for sharpening sticks into spears for the occasional ponds and rivers found in the woods as well as skinning and gutting rabbits. There was even a section entirely for keeping mammalian kills in which currently held one rabbit killed less than twenty minutes ago. Lugging dead fish around was just too much, so he cooked and ate them as soon as he caught them. He had a number of bottles for getting drinking water from any river he came across, all of them being quite clean. Alongside that was a flint and steel for fires, a pocket to keep firewood he found, a blanket for him and Epona each, bandages in case of injury, and of course a change of clothes. The only item left wasn't kept in his bag, a small blue instrument clasped to his belt. The Ocarina of Time.

Sitting against the tree and next to his gear, the boy let out a shaky sigh and simply stared off ahead of him for a bit. He supposed there was one benefit to only having Epona as company. With no people around, Link was free to let his emotions out, no longer having to keep his mask up for the benefit of others. That being said, he still couldn't help but feel slightly embarrassed if he got desperate in his calling for Navi or teared up a bit as he tried to sleep. Still, it was so exhausting keeping his mask in place at what seemed like every waking moment, so it was somewhat relaxing to let his true self out.

After a few minutes of rest, Link prepared to eat, getting some firewood he had stored away before getting the dead rabbit out of his bag. The boy let his mind go blank as he worked on preparing the kill for cooking, occasionally glancing over at Epona, now lying on the grass, as she stared over at her companion. Offering the horse a small smile, Link continued preparing his meal in silence.

Before long, the rabbit was cooked and Link was slowly eating his meal. It was somewhat odd to eat meat without utensils like this. The Kokiri didn't have things like knives, forks, or spoons, so all meals were eaten with the hands. When the boy moved into the castle, he was introduced to such concepts and spent two years getting used to cutting up his meat rather than tearing at it with his teeth. While an almost strange feeling, it felt good in a way to go back to what he was used to.

Once the meal was over and the fire extinguished, Link let out a small and content sigh as he leaned against the tree. A part of him was beginning to wonder if this wasn't some kind of mistake. Saria had gone out to the woods herself a number of times at Link's request in search of Navi and found nothing. What made him think he'd find anything himself? Saria searched on and off for two years, what would a month accomplish? The boy's hand ran over the Ocarina, the temptation to play Saria's Song cropping up in his head. Maybe he should talk to his oldest friend about this again? It was a good thing Zelda insisted on Link taking the instrument with him, so he could at least talk to one person whenever he chose to. The songs to warp him about Hyrule also served as a nice last resort if he found himself unable to leave the forest when the month was up.

Link's thoughts were interrupted by a flash of light from above. He looked up but saw nothing. A darting fairy? What else could it be? The boy almost called out but stopped himself. Right now, he didn't want to use his voice. He didn't want to talk to anyone. Frustration coursed through his veins like small embers at what he perceived as weakness. Two years passed and sometimes such simple things were so hard, and it all phased in and out seemingly at random. Normally, he loved talking to his friends and being with them. Then there were times where holding a simple conversation seemed like the most exhausting thing in the world to go through.

Letting out another sigh, Link decided to keep going. It was hard to tell at a glance, but it wasn't even late afternoon yet. He had plenty of time to keep going before the sun set and further searching was made impossible. Gathering his things and standing was Epona's signal to get up herself. With the Hylian on the young filly once more, the two ventured onward to the forest. Above them, the flash of light darted from tree to tree, soon followed by a second, purple light…

The time went by slowly and quietly as Epona gently marched forward. Link wasn't sure how much time was going by, but the infinite forest around him wasn't growing darker, so it was still afternoon when he seriously considered another break. Right now, he just felt so exhausted. Everything on him felt so heavy and cumbersome, even the clothes on his back were like stone weights. Link was about to get off of Epona once again when that flash of light went by overhead once more, and this time it was quickly followed by a second one! Was that fairy following him? And with a companion? The boy looked up where he thought he saw the lights go, tempted once more to call out.

Fairies were shy by nature, generally, but the sight of a child in Kokiri clothes seemed to make them more willing to come out and talk. This didn't apply to all fairies, of course. Navi was rather outgoing, always flying above Link's head as he went about the Hyrule Castle Town or Kakariko Village. As the Hylian was looking about, he thought he saw something out of the corner of his eye, something closer to eye level. He didn't get the chance to even turn before Epona let out a whinny of fear and reared herself onto her hind legs. Link was so caught off guard that he instantly fell off.

The boy barely had time to let out a startled yelp before the world went black.

The young horse collected herself quickly, gazing curiously at the two lights before her. One was white, the other purple. Fairies. "Wow, Tatl, that was easier than I thought it'd be." The purple one, a male, said.

"I told you, Tael!" The white one responded with prideful edge in her voice. "Horses spook really easily; anyone could figure out what to do!"

Before Tael could respond, a third intruding presence made itself known. At first it was just noise, the sound of approaching footfalls on the forest floor. The snapping of a discarded twig. Then, out of nowhere, the mask appeared. At first it simply seemed to float towards the fairies, bobbing as it went. An ancient, heart-shaped object with spikes adorning its lower edges and its top. It was decorated with tribal paintings that, despite the obvious age of the mask, hadn't faded at all over the countless years of its existence. Small scratches and signs of wear from the wood itself were present, but not nearly enough when taking in account how old it was. The worst part was the eyes. Large, orange, mad eyes with dark green irises. There was a brightness and intelligence to those eyes, one that gave the feeling that the mask was looking back at the world before it and studying it.

The small imp wearing the mask faded into existence moments later. A mischievous creature, a Skull Kid, bore the mask on his face as he approached the fairies. No one truly knew where Skull Kids came from. The most common theory, one that Navi even told to Link years ago, was that they were children that became lost within the Lost Woods. Asking a Skull Kid would just get a sarcastic comment or a riddle with no answer.

The mysterious being wore an outfit similar to most others of its kind. Red and yellow garbs that were faded and torn around the edges. Clearly never properly cared for in any way. Upon his head, the Skull Kid wore a large red hat, one that would not look out of place on a scarecrow. His wooden body rattled audibly as he finally reached the two fairies, looking directly at them with the mask's intense eyes and giving a haunting, mirthful laugh. "You two did good! This kid should be easy pickings!" Epona seemed nervous at the imp's presence, backing off a few steps, but seemed unwilling to leave her rider behind completely.

The Skull Kid turned to the dispatched Hylian, still unconscious on the ground. Slowly and carefully, the imp approached the fallen child. Once he was sure nothing would happen, the creature of the forest started to go through the boy's belongings. He started by taking off the kid's bow. Looking it over, the Skull Kid tossed it over his shoulder. Then, the quiver was emptied, arrows spilled all over the forest floor before the quiver itself was also tossed aside. The imp then turned to the large bag that Link had, throwing the bottles within it away. Quickly giving up on that, the Hylian was shoved onto his back. That's when the flash of pale blue caught the Skull Kid's eye.

"Oh! Skull Kid, that's an Ocarina isn't it?!" Tael exclaimed as his partner took the instrument from the helpless victim. "Can I play it? Please?!"

Tatl slapped the other fairy upside the head. "Tael you idiot! You can't play something like that! You'll just drop it and break it!"

The Skull Kid ignored the two bickering fairies. He turned away from the unconscious child, studying the instrument in his hands a bit before raising the Ocarina under his mask and blowing into the mouthpiece. A single, offkey note range out into the forest, eliciting a laugh from the mischievous being. "See? It looks fun!" Tael argued back, rubbing his head a bit from the hit. "Come on, sis, I'll be really careful with it!"

Tatl let out an annoyed sigh as the Skull Kid kept playing offkey notes and tittering to himself. "It's too big! You can't use the holes in it to properly play!"

As the trio was distracted, Link's eyes slowly fluttered open, a pounding headache making him silently wince. Shakily, he got to his feet and it took him a moment to focus on the noises going on around him. Two voices arguing with each other, the sound of an Ocarina being played poorly followed by laughter. Turning to the noise sources, Link froze from what he saw. His back to him was a Skull Kid, playing the Ocarina while two fairies argued further on. The boy then noticed a bunch of his belongings on the ground, especially his arrows which had been scattered all over the place.

Link's eyes formed into an icy blue glare, directed towards the trio of thieves.

It took only a few more moments for Tatl to notice Link, the fairy bristling in alarm, with Tael following suit moments after. "Uh…Skull Kid?" The female fairy called out, slowly floating upwards and out of reach, dragging her brother with her.

"Huh? What?" The imp said, watching his two cohorts fleeing. After a moment, the Skull Kid slowly turned around to see Link glaring daggers at him. Letting out a startled noise, the thief hid the Ocarina of Time behind his back, not moving another muscle afterwards.

Petty tricks like that wouldn't work. Link saw the flash of blue and knew exactly what the creature had in his paws. The idea of unsheathing his sword went through the boy's mind, but that would be too slow. No choice but to just go for it! Link lunged at the imp, trying to wrap his arms around the thief and hold him in place. To the boy's shock, the Skull Kid jumped straight up into the air. Such creatures were agile, yes, but Link had never seen one just take off to the air like that!

To Link's horror, the Skull Kid landed right on Epona with a taunting laugh, the horse whinnying in alarm and preparing to run. Leaving his bow, arrows, and bottles behind, Link instantly jumped and grabbed at the thief's ankle just before Epona started her charge. He hadn't even had time to think his options over, he just acted instinctually. The soft grass and dirt of the Lost Woods were now claws and teeth as the horse ran through the trees, dragging Link's legs along the ground.

The Skull Kid was barely able to hang onto the filly as she frantically galloped onward. The imp kicked at Link in a desperate attempt to loosen the boy's iron-like grip to no avail. Tatl and Tael quickly caught up, ramming into Link's head in vain to get him to let go, but the Hylian barely even noticed them. Before long, Epona made a wide turn and her usual rider lost his grip on the thief's leg, sending him tumbling along the ground. With another fit of laughter, the Skull Kid rode off on Epona, his fairy companions lagging behind, but still following their partner in crime.

Link was only stunned for a few moments before struggling up to his feet. His entire body was sore, and his legs were bleeding a bit, but that wasn't enough to stop him! Epona wasn't just Link's friend, but a precious gift from a precious girl back home. He couldn't imagine returning to the ranch and having to tell Malon that some imp stole her horse away. He refused to let a thing like that happen!

The retreating pinpoints of light went out of sight deep into a tunnel of sorts seemingly carved into a giant tree. It was a new and unusual sight for Link, but he didn't think twice before charging after the fairies anyway. Ignoring the pain that shot through his legs with each step, Link ran as fast as he was able through the tunnel. He paused when he came through the other side. The boy found himself in a strange area where the trees around him were so thick and so close together that going through them was impossible. The only other path was a monstrously large tree with some sort of wooden slope or ramp going into an opening.

Seeing as that was the only possible path the Skull Kid and Epona could've gone, Link continued towards it. As he ran, he thought about how bringing the horse was a big mistake. The Lost Woods were dangerous enough for him as it was, he shouldn't have dragged Epona here as well! Once he found his friend and got her back, he was going to warp them right back to the Temple of Time and return her to Malon. He'd…He'd just plan his trip more carefully and try again.

Running into the tree's opening, Link found himself in a dark tunnel with nothing but the weak sunlight behind him to light the way. The only sounds Link could hear was his own footfalls and panting. The gallops of Epona were now long gone, making him worry about just how far he was lagging behind. It didn't even cross his mind that he may be forever lost in the forest if he didn't get his Ocarina back. All he could think about was getting his horse back safe and sound.

As Link kept going, he started to wonder about the passage of time. He could swear he had been going for well over twenty minutes with no change in scenery at all, save for him outrunning the sun's rays and plunging him into complete darkness. Just as Link was starting to believe he was somehow caught in a trap; he saw a light ahead. Pushing himself harder, he charged forward and only at the last second did he realize something.

The floor ran out.

In a moment that terrified Link to his core, he teetered over the edge of a massive abyss which the unknown light source couldn't fully illuminate. He tried to get his balance, but it was far too late. Going over the edge…Link fell.

He wasn't even sure if he screamed on the way down. He didn't remember doing so, or if he did, he somehow didn't hear it. What Link _did_ remember was the infinite darkness around him. The light above soon faded away, and he saw nothing below. He would also be able to later recall the strange noises he heard, a strange buzzing sound like hundreds of people talking at the same time. It was the only thing he was able to hear as he fell, not even the wind going past him was audible.

The fall felt as though it lasted several minutes, yet also seemed over in an instant. With a surprisingly soft thud, Link made his landing. Even further surprising was the fact he survived without any serious injury. He would probably bruise a bit, but that was all. His heart hammering against his ribcage, Link found himself shakily standing up for the third time that day, looking around to see where he was. A new unseen source of light allowed him to see the area around him.

Sadly, Link wasn't able to see very much of the room he was in. The walls around him seemed to be made of wood, as would be expected. It didn't feel cold like he would expect it to, if anything it was almost a bit warm. Ahead of him was a small pool of shallow water. How did that get in here? Moving on, Link looked down to see what he landed on and was surprised to see a massive flower, larger than any he'd ever seen before. How did he manage to fall so far and land without injury? At least, he _thought_ he fell far enough to die on impact. It was all such a blur…

Link's thoughts were interrupted as new sources of light appeared. Bright, blinding lights from above illuminated the room, making Link flinch and cover his eyes with his arm. After a moment, he lowered his limb and saw _him_. The Skull Kid. To Link's surprise, the imp was actually floating in midair, lying horizontally as if on an invisible sofa. The two fairies floated behind him, having finally caught up with the little thief. Link couldn't help but glance at the room now that it was fully lit. A grassy floor was beyond the large puddle, leading to the other side of the odd room, which held a large wooden door.

The Hylian didn't even stop to consider why there was grass in a place without sunlight. Not wasting a second, Link once more gave the imp an icy glare. "Where. Is. My. Horse?" He demanded, doing everything in his power not to yell out, his voice barely managing to hold back his rage. Link knew he had to keep a level head here. Freaking out and starting to scream wouldn't help him.

The Skull Kid let out a mocking laughter. "What? That useless thing?" He chided, shaking his head. "It wouldn't listen to a word I said! So, I did you a favor and got rid of it!"

A tranquil fury bubbles within Link as he processed the words. At the same time, he was so shocked that he found himself unable to move forward. That, and there was one last thing stopping from simply charging forward. Fear. There was something seriously wrong with this Skull Kid. At worst, they were mischievous but weak beings. The most danger they posed was shooting small rocks from their flutes. On top of that, the most magic they were able to use was being able to go about the Lost Woods with ease, almost seeming to vanish before unprepared eyes.

Jumping so high in the air? Floating? That was beyond the abilities of a Skull Kid. Something unique was going on here, and Link believed it was that mask. While no expert in magical objects, that mask gave off a disturbing aura. Just looking at it, Link was able to tell that there was something wrong and sinister about it. The eyes of it almost seemed to glow orange, and the green irises seemed to be staring right into Link's dull blue ones.

"What's with the dirty look?" The Skull Kid went on. "I just thought I'd have a little fun with you…" He said in a blatantly fake apologetic voice.

It was that last push that got Link to draw his sword, body almost shaking with unbridled fury. "My horse…You…" A part of him didn't want to believe it, that Epona was gone. Yet it was clear this thief had strange powers, so killing a horse wasn't hard to believe. The young child put his fears aside. He was going to cleave the floating monstrosity in two.

Instead of being intimidated, the Skull Kid let out a nasty laugh. "What, you think you can defeat me as I am now?! You're a fool!"

With those words, the imp shook his head erratically, a disturbing rattling sound echoing through the room, the mask's eyes glowing intensely. Instantly, sharp pains stabbed throughout Link's entire body. He collapsed to his knees, eyes wide open and mouth agape in a silent scream. He felt as though something invisible was crushing him, contorting him into a smaller form. While a lot of internal pain was raging through him, the boy's very skin was oddly starting to feel numb. The worst part was that Link's vision went white, so he was unable to simply look and see what was happening to him. In his hears rang the angry shrieks of dozens of creatures. Dekus? It was so hard to concentrate…

Link's vision went from white to black, and he passed out once more.

Aching pain. As Link roused again from unconsciousness, an aching pain throughout his whole body was what he instantly noticed. The second thing he noticed was how the room seemed bigger than before. Slowly, he leaned over and looked into the water, flinching at what he saw.

There was a Deku underneath the water's surface! A wooden, sad face stared up at Link from within the large puddle. Orange, depressed eyes lying over a perfectly circular mouth while underneath a head of yellowing leaves. To Link's surprise, the Deku was even wear a large green hat. A hat…like his. It also wore a green loincloth of sorts, leaving it with a bare chest. The only other clothes it had was strange leather gauntlets and small leather shoes. Almost forgetting about the Skull Kid, or even Epona, Link reached towards the Deku and stopped. He glanced over to his arm. It was small and wooden…a strange leather gauntlet on it. He gazed back at the puddle, the Deku's arm was raised in just the same way.

Link screamed.

At least, he tried to. The realization of what had happened to him would have normally made him scream at the top of his lungs, but the bizarre, alien vocal cords, throat, and mouth he had to work with stopped him. What came out of his circular mouth instead was a strange, raspy gurgling sound.

The Skull Kid erupted into a harsh laughter at the Deku Link before him. "That's great! That's rich! Honestly, it's a good look for you!" The imp's body shook at the giddy tittering he was directing at his victim. "You can stay like that forever!" With that, the Skull Kid started to float towards the door, which opened on its own as he got near, his two fairies following close behind.

Not even thinking, Link charged forward on his shortened wooden legs. He didn't even consider how much smaller and weaker he was, all he thought about was stopping the imp and destroying that mask! "Hey! Don't you dare!" Tatl yelled out, charging at Link and repeatedly ramming into his head. Normally, such an assault would have no effect on him, but his smaller and lighter form was actually knocked over as a result of the fairy's attack.

As this went on, the Skull Kid and Tael were on the other side of the doorway. "S-Sis! Hurry, you have to-"

The door slammed shut.

Seeming to forget about Link, Tatl flew towards the door at top speed. "WAIT! Skull Kid, I'm still in here! Come back!" Silence. The fairy tried bashing against the door in a vain attempt to open it, to no avail. She turned as Link got up on his feet, her light going red. "_You!_" She practically hissed, flying into Link's face. "This is all your fault, you little freak! If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have been separated from my brother!" Link simply stared at her. "Well, don't just stand there, Deku brat! Help me out!" She yelled at the top of her tiny lungs.

Link was simply stunned at being yelled at like this. It had been so long since anyone had raised their voice at him in an angry manner. For two years, everyone walked on eggshells around him at all times. They seemed almost scared to say anything negative towards him, allowing him to be a worthless and terrible friend without being called out on it. It was as if going against him would somehow shatter the boy into pieces. If the circumstances were different, it would almost be a relief for someone to treat him normally.

"What are you staring at?!" Tatl went on when Link didn't answer, or really react at all. "Do I have something on my face? Come on, just go over and open that door!" She let out an irritated sigh, seeming to calm down a bit as her light went back to normal. "A poor, defenseless fairy is asking for your help!" Without waiting a for a response, she turned towards the door again. "Tael…will he be okay without me?" The fairy murmured to herself as she floated towards the door.

The shock wearing off, Link started to get his thoughts together. Okay. He was a Deku now, but surely this was something that could be undone. It was clearly some sort of a hex or curse, and those can be reversed! Somehow, he'd get his Ocarina back, return home, and perhaps one of the Great Fairies could help him out. There had to be _someone_ in Hyrule that could reverse the spell. There just had to be! Besides, freaking out about it now would accomplish nothing anyway.

Something Link finally realized was all of his gear was gone! He whipped his head about, even looking towards the large flower, but saw no signs of it. Did the Skull Kid somehow nab those as well? Yet he also had this large hat, but not his tunic? Despite just thinking about how freaking out wouldn't help, the Deku couldn't help but feel panic rising within him. Without his sword and shield, how could he hope to defeat someone with that kind of magic?!

Taking a couple of warbly, deep breathes, Link forced himself to calm down. He'd…He'd just think of something along the way. Once more, he reminded himself that freaking out over the situation would get nothing done. He decided to try and keep his mind on other things, looking over at the fairy that had helped get his horse stolen and was now asking for her help. A part of him wanted to swat her out of the air, but that would also not get anything done.

Besides, she was too high for him to reach.

With small but rapid steps, the cursed child made his way to the door and looked around it. There was always some sort of panel to push to get these things open. Ah! Just as Link thought, a small indentation in the wall nearby was visible and almost begging to be pressed in. When the Deku did so, the door opened up again and revealed a wooden hallway. Wasting no time, Link dashed ahead. The hallway was short and, though Link didn't notice, decorated with strange paintings along the wall. Oceans and plants mixed together in strange hybrids followed Link as he went down the hallway and past the artwork. Before long, he came to another room.

Link wasn't able to get a good look at the new area he just entered before a white light filled his vision. That fairy again! "Hey!" She belted out, backing off a bit. "Don't leave me behind!" After catching her breath for a second, she let out a small sigh. "Look…about back there…I'm sorry about what I said, okay?"

May Din strike Link down on the spot if that dastardly fairy was even slightly sincere. He could tell she wasn't remotely sorry for what she said. The cursed child decided to speak his mind to the one who had helped cause so much trouble for him. Simply put, he wanted her to just fly away and leave him be! "Ngh…kkko…ggg…" Was all that came from the Deku's strange mouth.

Instantly, Tatl burst out laughing, clutching her stomach as she nearly tumbled out of the air. "Oh! That's rich! Giants abound that's really good!" Any signs of remorse, real or otherwise, was out the window apparently. "You can't even talk right!"

In his haste, Link forgot about his failed attempt to scream correctly earlier. If he couldn't even do that, how could he hope to talk? Still, he wanted to try again. "Mmaaa…Llll…ckck…" A part of him wondered how he was able to make sounds that required lips and a tongue to make. The other part decided he didn't really want to know.

"Okay! Okay, stop!" Tatl demanded after another fit of laughter. "I won't be able to take it! Listen, I actually don't care at all if I hurt your feelings, but I need you, and you need me!"

Need her? When would Link ever need her? "Gggh…!" The Deku was hoping if he kept practicing, he'd managed to at least form half-coherent words at some point…

The fairy, clearly trying to hold in more laughter, cleared her throat. "Listen, you want to know more about that Skull Kid, right?" She asked rhetorically. "Well, I have an idea on where he's going. You help me get to him, maybe I'll talk him into changing you back. Deal?"

It was at this point that Link made another discovery about his body. He found that he was unable to make any changes in his facial expression when his attempt to glare at the fairy failed. It was odd, because he had seen Dekus do it before. He supposed it was like his voice, where with practice he could pull it off. For now, he was stuck with miserable looking eyes. Either way, he hated to admit it, but the fairy was right. He couldn't do this alone, and maybe the conniving fairy might be grateful enough to get his Ocarina back. Epona, sadly, was another matter entirely. What would he tell Malon?

Link let out a strange, nasally sigh. He could already feel the guilt eating away at him, but as cruel as it may sound, he couldn't worry about that at the moment. Getting the Ocarina back was his first priority. Maybe he'd be able to play it, even with the strange mouth he now possessed. He let out a second sigh, looking where he thought the fairy's eyes were. "Ghh…Mngga…."

"Alright! Deal!" Tatl said, clearly not caring what Link actually thought. "Not that you can even say it, but my name's Tatl, by the way. I guess I can just call you Deku Boy for now, huh?" Her tone was belittling and nasty, the kind of nastiness that came from someone who knew they could say whatever they wanted with no repercussions.

"Yagg…Rnggh…" Link wasn't even sure what he was trying to say at this point. Right now, he just wanted to say one actual coherent word. Anything at all. It was almost a bit frightening, as he now had no way to communicate if needed. His inability to read and write meant that, at best, he could mime what he wanted to say if the situation called for it.

"Yeah, yeah…" Tatl dismissively said, turning away from the Deku to observe the room. The foundation was unusual, with another one of those large flowers dead in front of them, and then a drop into a pit, one deep enough where the bottom wasn't visible. Across the pit, the path continued on, a door being the only barrier. "Well, this should be easy. Even someone as stupid as you should be able to get across!" She turned back to Link, who simply stared at her. "…What?"

"Hh…Bghh…" Link tried in vain to speak. With yet another sigh, he walked over and pointed down the pit. "Ngghhh…Oooo…"

"You don't know about the flowers?" Tatl asked, floating above the large plant. "Dekus use them for flight, don't you know that? Look, just try burrowing into it and you'll see!" She talked as though she was speaking with a particularly stupid toddler.

Dekus could fly? In all his years in the forest, Link had never heard of such a concept. That being said, the Dekus and the Kokiri weren't exactly friends, but he still saw a number of them around growing up. One thing Link knew for sure was that these large flowers were nowhere around the Lost Woods. Or…so he thought. Where was he right now anyway? Inside some giant tree he supposed, or he guessed he was underneath it? Was he still in the Lost Woods?

Thoughts for later.

For the time being, Link approached the flower and stood on it, not sure what to do. Looking down, he noticed the large hole in the flower's center. Not sure what else to do, he placed a foot in it, and then the other. Like some sort of switch was triggered, something unseen within the flower practically dragged the Deku into it faster than he had a chance to cry out. Before he knew it, Link found himself in a cramped yet somehow comfortable dark place within the flower. There was a momentary panic within the cursed child. Was this some sort of trap? Did that dastardly fairy trick him? Maybe this species of flower ate Dekus dumb enough to walk over it!

Link's thoughts were interrupted by Tatl, her voice somewhat muffled. "Hey! Look, I don't really know how it all works, but try…I don't know, grabbing for something? The Dekus I've seen do it come out with flowers!"

That at least eased Link's nerves. If Tatl was really trying to kill him, she probably would have mocked him and left instead. So, he took her advice and groped about in the darkness. For a few seconds, he couldn't find anything to grip on, then suddenly he wrapped his hands around what seemed like two stalks. Something else within the flower's biology got triggered as suddenly Link found himself shot straight up into the air; the wooden boy so startled he didn't even try to scream.

Next think Link knew, he was floating in midair! Looking two his hands, he saw each gripped a giant flower, the petals spinning around and keeping the Deku aloft. The next thing Link noticed was he was very slowly descending, the flowers only able to do so much.

"There! Maybe you're not as useless as I thought! Just…lean forward, I guess, and you should get to the door!" Tatl called from below, flying across the gap herself and waiting by the barrier for Link.

Taking the fairy's advice, Link leaned forward, slowly making his way across the gap. He found himself feeling a lot less nervous than he probably should have been. Compared to a lot of things he's done, this was nothing. Before long, Link found himself joining Tatl on the other side and by that point was close enough to the ground to simply let of the flowers, which instantly fell to the ground. "Brggh…Lkoo…"

Letting a snicker loose, Tatl shook her head. "You're really bad at the whole talking thing huh? Keep trying, though, the attempts never get old!" She floated closer to the door. "Now make yourself useful and open this up!"

"Kkkcchee…" Withholding another sigh, Link quickly found the door's panel and opened it up, allowing the two to continue on. The next stretch of the trip was long and uneventful. The Deku and fairy found themselves walking through what seemed like an infinitely long wooden hallway which consisted of a number of twists and turns. This time was spent with no real discussion. Tatl didn't seem to want to really talk with Link, but the cursed Hylian spent a lot of the time trying to talk, if only to himself. As the time crawled by, he actually found himself getting closer to real words.

It was hard to tell how much time passed with no sun to use as a reference. It could have easily been an hour, but Link didn't bother keeping track. "Hey! Look!" Tatl suddenly called out, nearly startling Link, who was looking down at his feet. The boy jerked up his head as the fairy flew over to what she had seen. Before the duo were two things. One was that the tunnel ended at a wall with a smaller, square opening leading even further. It was what stood before this opening that intrigued the cursed boy.

Tatl hovered near what seemed like an unusual, very small tree. It was only a foot or so taller than Link, and oddly enough didn't have roots going underground. Perhaps some kind of a wooden carving? Yet, there were a few leaves growing out of it at its top and out of its only two branches. The most disturbing aspect was the face. On this tree-like object was a simple face, a disfigured circular mouth underneath two sad eyes. It looked remarkably like a Deku.

"Li…ke…mmme." Link managed to say. After all that practicing, he was able to at least form the words he wanted to some extent. Despite everything, he couldn't help but be embarrassed by the difficulty in saying just those two words, or how much smaller and squeakier his voice was.

"When did you manage to talk? On our way here?" Tatl asked, turning to the Deku. "Your attempts at talking stopped being funny a while in so I stopped listening." Not allowing Link to even respond, the fairy looked back to the tree. "It does look like you though. It looks so depressed, actually. It's kind of sad…" For once, the minx actually sounded sincere about something aside from cruelty, seeming almost sad herself.

A Deku-like tree along the same path the Skull Kid went, and now Link was a Deku himself? Could the two things be connected somehow? Not wanting to think of the implications, Link went past the tree, Tatl following behind him after a moment's hesitation. The smaller opening lead into a narrow hallway, one lined with small trees, none of them much taller than a fully grown adult. The other side was mere yards away, with another square opening leading into darkness. The duo pressed onward, and Link swore the hallway twisted and turned as he walked. Despite this, his vision remained the same, so he ignored the sensation.

The Deku and Fairy entered a dark room and immediately heard the sound of large wooden gears somewhere further ahead along with what sounded like running water. Link didn't even have time to get used to the darkness and make out what the room looked like before he heard a strange grinding sound behind him. He whipped his head around to see a pair of thick metal doors closing behind him. A wheezing, alarmed sound came from his alien mouth, but before he could even make a move, the doors slammed shut.

Wherever he was now, there was no going back.

"What the heck?!" Tatl exclaimed, going to examine the blockade. "Those were never here before!"

Link ignored Tatl's words, looking about the door and the wall surrounding it for some sort of button or switch to get it open. When nothing of the sort was found, he even tried opening it with his little wooden hands, not making them budge an inch. "Ge..t…ba..ck…?" It was hard enough to talk so speaking in full sentences was just impossible right now for the cursed boy.

"It'll be fine!" Tatl assured, sounding confident. "Someone from town probably knows how to open it." Her tone shifted to one of urgency, clearly wanting Link to just keep moving.

The Deku turned to his uncaring companion. "You…beennn h…ere…be…fffore?" That actually managed to calm the boy down a little, who was internally starting to panic. He felt foolish for doing so, in hindsight. Every door that closed could be opened again. Just because there wasn't an immediate way to do it now, didn't mean it was impossible.

"Well, yeah. I'm _from_ here." Tatl said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Tael, Skull Kid and I only go into Hyrule to mess about in the woods, that's all."

So, Link was no longer in Hyrule. While that wasn't a good thing, he at least knew where he wasn't. Given it took less than a day to get here, that meant he must be in some neighboring country! And, assuredly, there were other ways back home than some strange tunnel found in…where was he now, again?

Turning away from the steel doors, Link looked about the area he was in, wanting to get his bearings. He was inside some old, stone building of sorts, that much was clear right away. Another obvious aspect was that the interior didn't seem particularly maintained well. There was brick walls, floor, and ceiling, all of which were full of cracks and chipped corners. There was moss or fungus all about too, a green mass that seemed to find great comfort in the chilly, damp area. It was too dark for the Deku boy to tell what it was exactly.

Walking forward, Link started to see the source of some of the noises he heard. Ahead of him spun a green, moss-or-fungus-covered waterwheel that seemed like it hadn't been checked up on in decades, yet it seemed to go about just fine. Below it ran a shallow torrent of water, both going and coming from a place off in the darkness and shut off by iron gates. Thankfully, a third path in the form of what seemed to be a rickety ramp lead upwards into what must have been a tower of some kind. "Place is always so disgusting…" Tatl murmured to herself, as if reading Link's thoughts.

Not offering any response, the Deku child made his way up the ramp with the fairy following, which was a lot less creaky than he expected. It could of course be the lessened weight of his new form. After the short walk, the two came across what seemed to be the only other room in the building. It was nicer looking, though that wasn't saying much. The main appeal was the lack of disgusting greenery, and the bricks were in slightly better condition. Link looked about and saw a rotating wooden pole in the center of the building, extending far into the ceiling passed massive wooden gears that spun continuously. Worn and with slight cracks, it didn't seem like anything like age or lack of maintenance would stop anything in this building from working. It seemed like the machinery could simply keep going until time reached its end.

And, as everyone knew, Time was eternal.

Despite the situation, Link found himself fascinated by the wooden pole and the gears. He had seen gears before, but not ones of such large size. It didn't seem like the devices really…did anything. Yet, as the Deku listened closer, he swore he heard some kind of wooden grinding coming from outside. Pointing upward, the cursed boy looked towards Tatl. "What…isss…this?"

"What? You don't know? With you being in the woods, I'd thought you'd have come here at least once." The fairy replied, speaking in a way as if Link was missing something obvious. "Look, you'll see when we get outside, alright? Save the stupid questions until then. Or, better yet, just keep them to yourself." The fairy floated further into the room, over a small wooden staircase leading to a pair of wooden doors. Like everything else in the building, they were old and worn. Adorned on the wood was a strange and intricate symbol painted onto it, one that Link didn't recognize. In the cracks of the door, a faint sunlight spilled in and revealed the bits of dust floating about the air. The Deku went on to follow the fairy and nearly reached the door when-

"You've met with a terrible fate, haven't you?"

"Gah!" Tatl exclaimed as she and Link quickly turned around. "Who's there?!" She, almost seeming to do so instinctively, hid behind the Deku's head, only to peek out a moment later.

Before Link was a surprisingly familiar face. One he hadn't seen since Princess Zelda had returned him to his childhood. The man standing before the duo was tall and lanky, wearing a neat and clean purple outfit, complete with a matching robe, even his shoes were purple, ending in curled points and showed signs of wear and tear. He wore a pair of golden arm bands, and a matching ornament around his neck, suspiciously expensive for someone of his trade. The face of the man itself was just as it always was. A pair of squinty, almost closed eyes above a toothy and serene smile and below a neatly combed head of red hair. The grin was paradoxically calming and unnerving, and Link had never seen the man without it.

The man, the Happy Mask Salesman, was someone Link only met at all in the alternate timeline. By the time the boy was able to effectively go back into the marketplace after his quest, he had found out the Happy Mask Shop had closed, and its owner had moved on elsewhere. For reasons unknown, even to Link, he had felt saddened by the news. The salesman wasn't someone Link had grown attached to, the boy didn't even know his name, yet he still felt melancholy about knowing the two wouldn't cross paths again.

It seemed fate had decided to finally rejoin the two, however. Link had noticed that the man hadn't change at all these past two years, even wearing the same outfit. The one and only difference was the Happy Mask Salesman now carried a massive pack, one large enough that the Deku was surprised the man didn't fall onto his back. He could see a few masks clipped to the outside of the pack; one displayed an unnerving screaming face, another a red and black demonic looking visage, and even the familiar Spooky Mask.

Link had to wonder just why the salesman was here. To get into this building, at least the way that the cursed boy got here, was through the Lost Woods. It wasn't exactly a secret that those woods were dangerous, and it was very foolish for Hylians to enter it. Even Link was nervous about going in, but his desperate need to find Navi got him to enter. Besides, with the Ocarina of Time, he had a way to escape if needed. Why would a mask salesman be going through the Lost Woods, presumably all alone? Despite the dangerous area he had to go through, the ever-smiling man looked perfectly fine, no signs of injury or fatigue.

Still, in a way it was kind of a relief to see a familiar face all the way out here, even if the Happy Mask Salesman had no idea who Link was anymore even without the curse now placed on the child. "Who…arrre…y-you?" Link asked, having to play dumb. He couldn't help but internally wince at his alien vocal cords making him stutter.

The Happy Mask Salesman let out a jovial chuckle, as if Link had told him a humorous joke. His toothy grin spread even farther, and he placed a hand over his chest and bowed to Link as the Deku took a few steps closer. Tatl continued to partially hide behind the cursed child. "I own the Happy Mask Shop, you see. I search far and wide in search of rare masks." His voice was rich and cheery, Link almost thinking the man was about to open his pack and show him his wares. "During my travels, a very important mask was stolen from me by an imp in the woods." Despite his words, he still sounded like all was right in his life.

An imp in the woods? "Ssskull Kid?" The Deku boy asked, feeling he already knew the answer. That strange and terrible mask the Skull Kid wore belonged to the salesman then? Why did he have such a mask? He didn't notice it, but Tatl went entirely out of sight behind his head.

The grinning man let out another small laugh as he stood up straight again. "The very same! I was at a loss, but then I came across you." Another small bout of laughter. "Now, don't think me as rude, but I've been following you."

"Nggh?" Link asked, his speech coming about so suddenly that he was unable to get the word out correctly. Just how did the Happy Mask Salesman follow him all this way? The area where he needed to use that flower alone should have stopped the man in his tracks, never mind the fact that neither Link nor the fairy noticed the man following them. At least, he assumed Tatl didn't notice, thinking she would have spoken up if she had. Link was tempted to simply back up and make his way through the wooden doors, but he found his legs frozen in place.

As if reading Link's mind, the salesman put his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "Now, I know that sounds sinister, but I assure you I have good intentions! After all, I can return you to your normal form!"

So, the Happy Mask Salesman even saw Link's transformation? How? That room was so small, there was no way he could have been hiding in some corner somewhere. Perhaps…the man could turn invisible? What else could allow such a thing to happen? The Deku was tempted to ask about those sorts of things, but the promise of returning the cursed boy to his former self took priority. "R-R-Really?"

"Really!" The man echoed back cheerfully. "If you can get back the precious item that was stolen from you, I will return you to normal. And, in exchange, all I ask is that you also get that mask from that imp and return it to me!"

Precious item? The Ocarina? How did the salesman know it had been stolen? Just how long was the man following Link? His initial comfort in the familiar face was now replaced with paranoia. Still, the salesman promised he could restore Link to normal…sure, he could be lying, but at the moment this was Link's best bet. Despite this, he felt nervous about trying to get that mask back. Even if he was still a Hylian, there was something very off about the heart-shaped object and the Skull Kid that wore it. As a smaller, weakened Deku? How could he do it?

"You must not doubt yourself." The salesman said, once more seeming to read the cursed boy's thoughts. "Is it not a simple task? Surely for someone like you, this shouldn't be difficult."

Link wasn't sure if he had blood anymore, but something inside him grew cold. The once-Hylian's adventures through time were kept as a secret from the general public of Hyrule. Only the Royal Family, Sages, and Malon knew what had happened. No one else, especially a man Link technically never met, should know about what had happened. Yet, what else could he mean by what he said? The most incredible thing he had done in the forest was managing to keep a grip on Epona for more than a few seconds as she sprinted through the trees. At the moment, Link wasn't sure what to do or what to think, finding himself unable to move or talk.

"Yes, not difficult at all!" The smiling man continued on. "Except…" For the first time, he started to sound serious, actually sounding grave although his expression didn't change at all. "I am a very busy man, and I must leave this place in three days. I would be most gracious if you could gather your precious item and my mask within that time. Yes…you are young, and I know you have tremendous Courage within you. You'll get things right away. I just know it." He let out one last chuckle. "I am counting on you…"

Taking the excuse to leave, Link turned and had to resist the urge to run away from the Happy Mask Salesman, instead walking towards the door as he normally would, Tatl practically clinging to his hat. With a deep breath, not sure why he was even taking one, the Deku placed his hands on the door and pushed them open, letting the sunlight stream in…

**Dawn of the First Day – 72 Hours Remain**

To Link's relief, he finally got to take in fresh air for the first time in what felt like a full day. The sunlight temporarily blinded him as the wooden doors fell back into place behind him. As his orange eyes adjusted to the light, a whole slew of sensations flooded into Link as he soaked in the new environment he found himself in.

Looking about, the Deku saw he was in a town of some kind, reminding him mildly of the marketplace in Hyrule Castle Town. It was the people he really saw before any other details. From a quick glance at the sky, it was clearly very early in the morning, couldn't be any later than six, so the area before him had people going about, but not nearly as crowded as the marketplace back home got in the middle of the day. To Link's mild surprise, the people he saw looked just like Hylians, even down to the pointed ears and the same sense of fashion with robes of all types of colors and patterns. One slight thing that Link noticed was some of the people walking about wore masks of all sorts of shapes and colors. These masked people didn't seem to get odd looks from anyone else, so maybe it was normal here? He even saw a glance at a kid with purple hair and Keaton Mask walking down a staircase farther on.

There were a number of buildings, probably residential ones, along the edges of this area of town. Red bricked buildings that were all multiple stories high. Though it wasn't too terribly crowded at the moment, there was still the buzz of a crowd of people talking in the air. Dead ahead of the Deku was some sort of platform with a man standing on top of it, staring at something in the sky. In front of the tower was…wait, was that…?

Link's thoughts got interrupted as Tatl flew in front of his face, filling his vision with her white light. "Augh!" She spat out, shivering a bit. "That salesman guy gave me the creeps! How long was he following us?!" The fairy gave off an annoyed sigh. "Well, whatever. I can't believe that guy only gave us three days to find the Skull Kid, and he could be anywhere!"

"You…Hhhad…idea…where…h-he was…" Link managed to squeak out. He distinctly recalled Tatl saying something about knowing where the imp was going.

"Well…I kind of lied. I mean, I thought he'd come out here, there's nowhere else to really go after all. That being said, he could be anywhere in Termina." There was a pause. "Oh, right, you're new here right? Guess I got to explain things. Listen up, I'm not gonna repeat any of this, okay?" Link gave her a nod. "Good. The entire land we're in now is called Termina, with Clock Town in the middle and the four areas in each compass direction. Even someone as dumb as you probably worked out that we're in Clock Town."

"Are…we…nnne…nnnear…Hyrullle?" Link felt he at least needed to ask and make sure.

"Heck if I know!" Tatl replied snootily. "All I know is that one day, the Skull Kid showed Tael and I that passage underneath the Clock Tower, taking us to Hyrule. We never left the forest there, so I don't know much about it. Any other stupid questions?"

"Nnn…No…" Link replied. He had never heard of Termina before. Then again, no one back in Hyrule seemed to talk about the areas outside the kingdom. At least, Link never recalled any neighboring areas mentioned by name. Still…why was there a passageway from a giant tree within the Lost Woods leading into a Clock Tower? In the end, Link supposed it didn't matter. He just wanted to get back to normal and go back home.

"Good! Now shut up." Tatl went on. "There's four parts of Clock Town, also mapped out using the compass directions, and we're in South Clock Town. Now, we should head to the North, where the Great Fairy lives. If anyone knows exactly where the Skull Kid is, it's her. Got that?" Link gave the demeaning fairy a nod. "Great, now let's get going!"

A Great Fairy? Here? Then again, nothing the cursed boy ever heard about them stated they existed only within Hyrule. While Link wanted to go right away, he knew he had to make sure of something first. In front of that platform ahead was someone that caught Link's eye. "Thisss….fiiirst…" He managed to squeak out, making a beeline towards the platform.

"Hey! Come back! That's South, you idiot! North is the other way!" The fairy hissed loudly in the Deku's…well, not ear exactly, but where his ear used to be.

Ignoring Tatl, Link went on. A few people passed by, their days starting nice and early. They gave the lone Deku child a curious glance, but nothing more, as they went about their business. When Link got to the platform, he got a closer look at the person, the man, in front of it.

The most notable feature of the man was his large and bushy white mustache. The second was the angry expression that he wore, one directed towards the younger man on top of the platform. The mustachioed individual was short and barrel chested. There was no doubting it…Link had seen this man before.

He was the carpenter's boss, Mutoh.

But how could that be? Why was he out here in Termina? Then again…if the Happy Mask Salesman was here, why not Mutoh? Looking about, Link noticed another one of the familiar carpenters sitting on a wooden crate, taking a sip of water. Perhaps Mutoh and his crew simply moved out here to do more work? Yes, that had to be it! After all, it wasn't like Link had actually seen the men in this timeline. They had finished their building in Kakariko Village before Link was able to bring himself to set foot in that area. He hadn't actually seen hide nor hair of them since the Gerudo Valley in the alternate timeline.

"Hey! What're you doing up there?!" Mutoh yelled to the man on the platform. "Get yer butt down here and get working! The Moon's not falling, you idiot!"

Tatl, who had been fruitlessly tugging on one of Link's small wooden arms, stopped. "The Moon? Did he say the Moon?" She asked Link. The two of them simultaneously looked up into the sky, where the man on the platform was gazing. The first thing that actually caught Link's eye was the Clock Tower. In terms of pure height, it was the largest building he had ever seen save for Hyrule Castle. A large, brick-laid building with some large wooden mechanism on its front. It took Link but a moment to realize it had to be a clock of some kind, as it turned with each passing moment. It was adorned with odd paintings and symbols, ones unknown to the Deku Boy. He had actually underestimated how high up the tower was, only looking as far as the massive clock. Moving his eyes up, he saw some sort of stone lump on top of the building, its use a mystery to him.

His eyes shot up much higher when Tatl let out a terrified scream.

Link almost screamed himself at the sight. Far above, but not nearly far enough, the Clock Tower was a massive rock. No, not just a rock. Bigger than a boulder even. A gargantuan mass was hanging up in the air over Clock Town. That by itself was horrifying, but this rock, this apparent Moon had a face. A scowling, grimacing face complete with a nose and two horrifying, piercing eyes. Eyes the same shade of orange as the two eyes of that horrid mask the Skull Kid wore. The Deku expected that, any second, the horrifying object would just plummet down and kill everyone in the vicinity. Yet, it just hung there, as if held by an invisible hand.

"Wha-Wha-What-What is that?!" Tatl exclaimed, pointing to the Moon. "That…That can't be the Moon, can it?! Why is it here?! What's going on?!"

At a loss for words, Link continued to stare at the object hanging over the town. What perplexed him was, well, no one was panicking. No chaos in the streets, no mass evacuation, nothing of the sort at all! Did no one care? By Tatl's reaction, this clearly wasn't normal. That still didn't explain how that Moon, or whatever it really was, got there in the first place! The only thing Link could think of was…no, surely not…

Could the Skull Kid be that powerful?

"Uh, look. Deku Boy." Tatl said, clearly nervous. "I don't know what that thing is, but…it doesn't seem to be doing anything, at least not now!" She sounded as if she was trying to convince herself more than Link. "Let's just go to the Great Fairy! Maybe she can help somehow!"

Tatl was at least partially right. Looking back up at the so-called Moon, Link noted it really was just floating there for now. Who knew when that could change, though? But what else could he do? Not like he could stop that thing! The Great Fairy really was the best option at the moment. "Right…" Link squeaked out. He did everything he could not to show it, but the cursed boy was terrified. What if that monstrosity above their heads suddenly fell, and without warning? No way anyone in the town would survive! He hated to admit it but relying on the Great Fairy was literally the only thing he could do. What other option was there?

With those awful thoughts in his head, Link followed as Tatl took him to the North. As the two went on, Link looked about the town some more. While he did so, he took a closer look at the faces of those he passed by. There was an odd mixture of serenity in those he saw along with nervousness. Some seemed as though they were trying everything in their power not to run away as fast as their legs could carry them. There didn't seem like there was enough people in the latter group, though. How had the town not evacuated? What was wrong with these people? How could they just ignore that hunk of rock literally staring them in the face?

Then again, wasn't Link doing the same thing?

Tatl lead Link past the Clock Tower and up a wooden ramp that lead around the large building. Through a short passageway, the two entered North Clock Town. Unlike South Clock Town, there were no buildings in sight. If anything, it seemed like some sort of large park with a couple of trees scattered about. Green, freshly cut grass bisected only by dirt pathways. Dead ahead was what Link assumed to be the town walls, plain white and ascending up nearly to the height of a small house. The only manmade structures aside form the wall that Link could see was a playground in the far corner of the area with swings and a slide.

Another difference that Link noticed was the lack of people. He was only able to see two people in the entirety of the area. One was a strange man in green spandex, hovering over the area with a red balloon. Link could see that he was drawing something, perhaps the view from above? The other was a young boy with a red bandana, blowing up a blue balloon. The Deku could see a hole in the wall leading North out of town. Surely a guard was posted there, but at this angle, Link was unable to see him. Further, past the hole, was a cave that Tatl was leading the cursed child towards.

"The Great Fairy lives in there." The fairy explained. "She's pretty powerful and knows a lot. If there's anyone that can help us out, it's her." Her voice seemed a bit strained, no doubt still shaken up from the Moon. It was clear, however, she was trying to remain calm and confident.

Link couldn't help but be surprised at how close the Great Fairy was to Clock Town. Back in Hyrule, the Great Fairies were all hidden away to _some_ extent from civilization. Yet this one was out in the open for anyone to just go talk to, apparently. As the duo got closer, something metallic caught Link's eye. He looked over and saw that hole in the Clock Town wall, where he assumed a guard must be standing at a post. It turned out he was correct, but the guard himself struck the cursed boy down to his very core and made him stop in his tracks.

The helmet, the chainmail, the spear…the guard at Clock Town's entry and exit was equipped exactly like the guards of Hyrule. In fact, this specific man looked…familiar. Not just from what he wore but living in the castle for two years allowed Link to familiarize the guards and servants within it. The man on duty noticed Link staring at him and gave the Deku a small smile and a nod of greeting, making Link turn away.

"Hey! What are you doing? Let's go already, Deku Boy!" Tatl scolded, bobbing in front of Link's eyes.

"So…rry…" The cursed child replied as the fairy herded him back towards the cave. Just what was going on here? First the Happy Mask Salesman, then Mutoh, now a Hyrule guard? The first two could be explained fine, but the guard was trickier. Maybe…Maybe this country copied the guard uniforms from Hyrule? It didn't really make much sense, but that was the closest thing to a reasonable explanation that Link could think of on the spot.

The Deku pushed those thoughts from his head as the two neared the cave. He noticed two things as they approached. The first was a small shrine of sorts outside the yawning hole, with bowls and flowers and what seemed to be other small sacrifices to the Great Fairy within. The second thing was an energy in the air, one familiar to the cursed boy. It was literal magic in the air, the kind that could be felt in one's bones. Though, Link wasn't sure if he even had bones anymore. Best not to think too deeply into it. As Link entered the cave, he noticed Tatl started to fly behind him, seeming a bit nervous though he chose not to ask why. Navi never had problems like this, she was fine with Great Fairies.

To little surprise, a serene glow came from within the cave, and soon it melded from stone floor and walls to the clean white tiles of a Great Fairy's Fountain. Ahead was a shimmering pond that gave off more light than it had any right to. When Link got near the water, a mass of orange, glowing forms erupted from the fountain's center. Getting over the initial surprise quickly, Link found himself confused. There was no Great Fairy, and no regular fairies either!

The entities that came from the water looked like small, deformed children with large heads and shut eyes. Their entire bodies glowed orange, and they fluttered about on wings that seemed too small for them. "Cursed one! Please hear my plea! I have been broken and shattered to pieces by the masked Skull Kid!" A high-pitched voice rang from the swarm of creatures.

That got Tatl to fly out from behind her hiding place. "What?! Great Fairy, is that you?! How could the Skull Kid do something like this, he's not strong enough!"

"I'm afraid I am." The voice said, seeming not to come from any specific glowing entity before the duo. "The Skull Kid is more powerful than you know! Please, find the Stray Fairy somewhere within Clock Town and come back here! I will explain everything when I return to normal!" With that, the creatures, the Stray Fairies, vanished into the water.

Stunned, Link simply stared at the shimmering waters. Great Fairies weren't exactly the most powerful beings back in Hyrule, but to shatter one like this was unheard of! Even Ganondorf never did such a thing, and one was sealed away right next to his castle. He didn't want to imagine that the Moon was truly the Skull Kid's doing, but if he was able to do this to a Great Fairy…

Link's thoughts were interrupted as Tatl flew in front of his face. "This is bad! The Skull Kid is stronger than I thought! This…We've got to find the Stray Fairy right away!"

"But…wwwhere…?" The Deku asked. Where would a Stray Fairy even be? Away from people, he would think, but he really didn't know enough about them to be sure.

"Well, not in North Clown Town, obviously." Tatl replied, her voice condescending. "If the Stray Fairy was here, it'd be able to return on its own. We'll just have to look everywhere we can until we find it."

Link was starting to get annoyed at the fairy's nasty attitude. She really had some nerve to treat him so poorly considering her and her brother started all this by spooking Epona. Link decided to hold off on talking back, however. After all, he was bound to find the Skull Kid by the end of the three day time limit given to him. At least, he hoped so. The cursed boy tried to just keep his mind on his current goal, to not start thinking about what would happen if he failed and was stuck in Termina.

Keeping such thoughts away, Link made his way out of the cave and into the sunlight. As the Deku stepped outside, he was suddenly struck with a wave of exhaustion Stopping in his tracks, the cursed boy leaned against the rocky wall by the cave's entrance. Thinking about it, how long had it been since he rested? Now that he stopped to ponder, Link realized it had been sometime in the afternoon when Epona was stolen, now it was sometime after six in the morning. Somehow, he had been up all night without even realizing it. It didn't feel like he had been awake that long. The horse theft seemed like it was only a few hours ago. Then again, while underground, there was no sun or sky to tell time with, so maybe the hours simply flew by and it just didn't feel as long. No matter what had happened, all Link knew for sure was that he was completely exhausted.

"Hey, why are you stopping?!" Tatl demanded. "We have to find that Stray Fairy right away! I don't know what's going on, but this is weird for the Skull Kid to do. We gotta find out where he is, right away!"

"Tirrred…" Link sputtered out as he sat down on the ground. "Rrrest firrrst…" He felt pathetic for thinking it, but for the moment he just felt he couldn't go on. "N-Need sssleep."

The fairy let out an aggravated groan. "Really? Right now?! Deku Boy, we don't have time for sleep!" Alas, even as Tatl ranted, Link's eyes started to flutter shut. She let out an annoyed sigh. "Fine! Go ahead and sleep!" She paused as the cursed boy's eyes shut and he seemed to instantly fall asleep. "Maybe a nap could help…" The fairy murmured to herself, curling up on top of Link's hat…

_Link found himself wandering. _

_All around him was darkness, as far as the eye could see. No light, nothing at all was visible. It was all just an encompassing abyss. He didn't know what else to do, so he simply kept walking. He wasn't even sure what he was walking on as his footsteps made no sound. He even realized that the sword and shield on his back made no sound either even though he could feel them. Usually they rattled or clinked lightly, but no such noise existed. Link couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency, like he needed to find a way out and fast, or else something bad would happen. Despite this, he found he couldn't move faster than casual walking. _

_Time passed at a torturous crawl within this empty void, but Link just kept going. He had to get out or else…something would happen. But what? The boy's thoughts were interrupted when the first noise he heard since entering this dark plain rang out. It was a strange shuffling sound. Leaves? He turned every which way but saw nothing but pure darkness. _

_Not knowing what else to do, Link simply went on his way. It didn't take long before the shuffling sound came about again, this time louder. Once more, Link looked around the empty space he found himself in. He swore he saw a flash of red, but it was gone before he could even blink. Nothing else happened, so he kept going._

_What felt like hours passed as Link wandered through the strange area he found himself in. The scenery, or lack thereof, never changed at all. He didn't even remember how he got there, but all he knew was he had to somehow escape quickly. _

_The shuffling sound came back, louder than ever. This time, when Link turned about, he saw something concrete and permanent. A Deku Scrub, its leaves red and angry, was standing just a few feet from him. The shuffling came from its leaves as it shook in place. Before Link could even think of what to do, he heard another sound from another direction. Whipping his head to the new noise, he saw another Deku Scrub, its leaves also red. Then another appeared. And another. And another. And another. And another. And another. And another._

_Before Link knew it, the empty space was filled with shuffling, shaking Deku Scrubs. The creatures surrounded him, pressed up against him and giving him barely enough room to breathe. Struggling for a moment, Link managed to squeeze his way out of the condensed crowd and ran away. Looking back, he saw that none of the Scrubs were chasing him, to his relief. _

_When Link looked ahead again, however, he saw a mass of red in front of him. Out of the ground, a massive Deku Scrub was rising from the inky blackness. Despite wanting to change direction, the boy found himself unable to stop running straight towards the monstrosity. The giant Deku Scrub stood there, awaiting as Link got close. The child panicked over what would happen when he got there, what that thing would do to him, what-_

"Hey! Come on, nap time's over!" Tatl's voice rang out.

The cursed boy's orange eyes flew open to see his fairy companion floating right in front of his face. "Nnn?" He groaned out, blinking a few times.

"I said wake up!" Tatl yelled out again. "We were asleep for too long! We've got to get moving!"

Feeling a bit sore and stiff, Link stood up and gazed up into the sky. Tatl was right, as judging from where the sun was in the sky, he reckoned it was around eleven about now. That left them with about 67 hours to go. As he gazed upward, he looked over to the Moon. Was it…bigger? No. No, surely not. It must just be his imagination. "Where…d-do we…gggo nnnowww?"

"I think right now our best bet is asking Jim if he's seen anything. He always hangs out around here. If anyone saw the Stray Fairy fly off, it'd be him."

"'im?" Link asked, still finding certain sounds impossible for his unusual mouth.

"Yeah, he's right over there." Tatl said, flying towards the boy Link had noticed earlier with the red bandana. The balloon he was inflating was up in the air. To the Deku's surprise, it had the mask that the Skull Kid was wearing on it. The boy was shooting at it with a blow dart but kept missing. "Hey! Jim!" The fairy called as she got close.

Link followed after her, hoping that this Jim kid saw something. When Jim turned, Link felt his heart skip a beat. The boy before him…was familiar to the Deku. He remembered a small child that would wander the graveyard of Kakariko Village, trying to imitate his gravedigging hero. The cursed child never caught the boy's name, but apparently it was Jim, and he was here in Termina as well.

No. No, it was just a crazy coincidence. That had to be the case. A lot of children looked the same, especially that young. Right? This Jim kid simply _resembled_ the boy from the graveyard. Just happenchance. That's all it was. What other explanation could there possibly be?

Jim looked between Link and his fairy companion; his head cocked slightly in confusion. "Hey, what's up? Why are you with this Deku, Tatl? You ditch the Skull Kid?"

"Not…exactly. It was more he and Tael ditched me. Deku Boy here is just with me until we find him. You haven't seen those two around, have you?"

Jim shook his head. "Nah, I haven't seen 'em since I kicked the three of you out of the Bombers." He sounded a bit sour about whatever happened back then. "You guys get in a fight or something?"

"Mind your own business!" Tatl snapped. "Have you seen anything weird in this part of town? Anything at all?"

Not seeming phased by Tatl's attitude, Jim closed his eyes in thought. "Mmm…No. Not really. Why? Is that Skull Kid up to something bad again?"

"No! Look, if you see anything weird, or the Skull Kid and my stupid brother, let us know, okay?"

"Yeah, alright. It's our code to help anyone that needs it, and I guess that'd include you too." Jim said, still sounding a bit annoyed at the fairy. He then turned his attention to Link, who had just been staring at the boy. "Who's the Scrub anyway? You new in town, kid?"

It took Link a second to realize he was being talked to, his mind still trying to reject that Jim looked just like that boy in the graveyard. "Y-Yeees. I'm nnnewww…"

Link's odd speech seemed to surprise Jim, but apparently his parents raised him right because he quickly got over it. "Huh, alright. Welcome to Clock Town, then. If you ever need help with something, come to one of the Bombers, and we'll help you out!"

Before Link could reply, Tatl piped up. "Right, right. Got it. Just remember to keep an eye out, Jim!" The fairy said as she started to flutter away, Link following behind.

"Yeah, yeah…" Jim half-heartily replied before turning his attention back to the balloon he was trying to shoot down.

Once Link and Tatl got out of hearing range, the Deku spoke up. "Bombersss? Wh-What…are they?" He couldn't help but be a bit curious, especially since Jim and these Bombers had some kind of history with the trio of horse thieves.

"They're just a group of dumb kids. They want to help people and spread justice or whatever." Tatl said dismissively. "Jim's the leader, and I guess he's still sore about when the three of us were part of the gang. Skull Kid…well…the details aren't important, but he got us kicked out."

Link couldn't help but notice the bit of hesitation there and wondered just what the Skull Kid did. He didn't think Tatl would tell him, and he supposed it wasn't really important in the end. "Ssso…what d-do we do nnnowww?"

The fairy let out a small sigh. "You're an idiot, you know that? There's not much we can do except just…look ourselves. There's a lot of nooks and crannies in town for the Stray Fairy to hide at." The fairy explained, looking down at Link with distaste, though the light she gave off hid it. "If I had to guess, I'd say the Stray Fairy is outside somewhere. I mean if it ducked into someone's house, surely it would've been returned by now…"

Needless insults aside, Link agreed with the plan and Tatl's logic. He still felt a bit worried. If the last two areas of Clock Town were as big as the ones he just went through, it could be a long time before they combed through any hiding places for the Stray Fairy. But what choice did he have? "Lead…th-the…waaay."

There was little conversing between Link and Tatl for quite a long while after that. He didn't want to socialize with her, and she clearly felt the same way. Honestly, that was just fine with the wooden boy. When the fairy first took Link into East Clock Town, one of the first things he noticed was another boy around Jim's age, but this one wore a yellow bandana. He seemed to be guarding some kind of entrance. All this did was reinforce Link's theory that the resemblance between Jim and the graveyard boy was simply a coincidence. After all, the kid in the yellow bandana very strongly resembled Jim. Heck, they could be twins.

While Link's mind was focused on finding the Stray Fairy as Tatl led him about the area, he couldn't help but make observations about the part of town. South Clock Town seemed to be a residential area, with a lot of houses and apartments visible just from in front of the Clock Tower, and there had clearly been more elsewhere out of direct eyesight. North Clock Town was more in touch with nature, with the only structures being the wall and the playground.

East Clock Town seemed like a place of pleasures and entertainment. At least as far as Link could tell. While he couldn't read the various signs about the place, the signs themselves had pictures to go along with them. One had an arrow hitting a target, obviously a shooting gallery. One building had pictures of bottles of liquid on it, which Link guessed was a bar. While he was too young to actually go into bars, he recalled being told about them by Zelda. He even remembered coming across what Navi called a 'drunk' during his first visit in Hyrule Castle Town. Another building was in the shape of a treasure chest, and even had a sign on it depicting a chest full of riches, so perhaps some way to play for money.

There were also a number of stalls about the area. One was lined up with toys, one had a large collection of masks, another had trinkets and bobbles, another was stocked with fireworks of all shapes and sizes. Children gathered about these stalls, parents at their side as Rupees were exchanged and the customers clamored for their purchases.

That lead to the next observation Link had; the town was now a lot livelier than when he first entered it. It was about on par with the marketplace back in Hyrule at its busiest. It was a bit harder to maneuver and push his way through the crowds. He found himself getting bumped around and even knocked over once or twice by adults that simply didn't notice him. Even when he was ten, he was tall enough where people in the marketplace were able to see him easily and allow him to meander about without much issue.

Another bit of trouble was the people that actually _did_ take notice of the cursed child. A few concerned adults in the less-busy parts of the area would stop and ask Link if he was alright, inquiring about where his parents were and if he needed help. It was at these moments that Link was thankful for Tatl's attitude and blunt nature, as she would pipe up and tell the adults to mind their own business and go away.

Link was someone who almost never turned away kind attention thrown his way. Growing up with only one person that cared for him made him starved for the affections of those around him. Despite this, he found it nerve-wracking when multiple people would talk to him or if a line of them conversed with him in such a short time frame. All it took was three or more people and he could feel his anxiety build up, even if they were his friends or other kind people. He just wasn't used to more than person having a conversation with him and he despised how it affected him so much. Link couldn't help but see it as a disgusting aspect of himself and was horribly ashamed of it. The Deku was just thankful that Tatl took care of these situations, and that his inability to make facial expressions meant he couldn't outwardly show how nervous he was.

The duo spent several hours searching about East Clock Town, Tatl seeming to know the place like the back of her exceedingly small hand. She showed him all the alleys and hiding spots that the Stray Fairy could potentially be found, but unfortunately nothing came up. Something interesting that Link did see was during the search, he saw a Goron walking by with a large pack on his back. He didn't ever remember hearing that Gorons only lived in Hyrule, so he wasn't too surprised. After all, Dekus clearly lived in Termina as well, so why not Gorons? He even swore he saw a few Zoras in the crowd at one point, but before he could even blink, they were gone.

Something that did concern Link, however, was he swore some of the people in the crowd looked familiar to him. No names attached to the faces, but these people looked like ones he would see bustling about the Hyrule marketplace from time to time. He convinced himself that it was a coincidence, or perhaps that with all the stress and exhaustion he's faced over the last day or so, his mind was just playing tricks on him. He did everything he could to keep his mind busy thinking about where the Stray Fairy could be. The familiar faces, Epona, whether he could ever return to normal…such thoughts were forced down and locked away. The wooden boy had quite a lot of experience shoving memories out of his conscious mind over the last two years. He was practically an expert on it. All the concentration meant nothing, however, as there was no luck in the East Clock Town search. Before Link knew it, the sun had set over the horizon…

**Night of the First Day – 60 Hours Remain**

"Well, the Stray Fairy isn't around here." Tatl declared as the two stood in the main area of East Clock Town. A lot of the bustle of the area slowed down, allowing the two to easily stay in one place and not get pushed around by the crowds. A lot of people were filing off towards South Clock Town, with a number of them heading towards the building Link assumed to be a bar. He also saw several Zoras head past the guard standing at his post. The Deku tried not to think about the uniform again.

"Wwwest…Cl-Clock Town…?" Link asked, still feeling foolish for not being able to talk properly yet. That being said, he barely talked at all since entering East Clock Town, so he didn't get much practice in.

"I guess we might as well try. There's not nearly as many hiding places there, but it's worth a look…I'm wondering where Skull Kid and Tael could be too. Surely they're still in town somewhere…" Genuine concern filled the fairy's voice as she led her Deku companion towards South Clock Town.

As the two went through South Clown Town, Link noticed the platform from earlier was built up a bit higher. What was being constructed? It was right in the middle of the main square, so it couldn't be some kind of residential building. Oh well, it wasn't important. He felt a small chill run through his body, as though he were being watched. He would bet anything it was the gaze of that horrid Moon up above the town. A part of him was tempted to look back at it, but he couldn't bring himself to.

What if it had gotten bigger?

West Clock Town, from what Link could tell, was a place of trade. Again, while he couldn't actually read the various signs, they were specialized with pictures showing off what they held within. One shop's sign had a bomb, for instance, clearly a place to buy bombs. Another shop had a picture of a cauldron next to it, obviously a potions shop. On top of that, there were a few stalls here selling things like food and jewelry that were still open. Another thing Link noticed was all the businesses and stores were built within the walls of the town. There weren't really any buildings to speak of in West Clock Town, not technically.

On the more disturbing side of things, Link noticed another familiar face as he and Tatl went up the main ramp of the area. A man kneeling in front of a large vault was giving Rupees to a woman as they made idle chatter. He was someone that the boy couldn't forget; a beggar he had seen back in Hyrule. After all, how could he forget the lesson he learned on what poverty and homelessness was? Then again, Link hadn't actually seen this man for over a year. Maybe he simply went off to Termina and was now doing better for himself. Of course, it was such a simple solution! What else could possibly be the case? Just another odd coincidence, that's all it was…

It was as Tatl said, there weren't as many hiding places in this part of town. No real buildings meant no alleyways. There were some old holes in the walls and checking behind some piles of boxes in a few corners of the area, but that was really it. That on top of how this part of Clock Town was less busy, with less crowds to push through, get swept up in, and wait to disperse, meant the search was concluded much faster. Within two hours, the entire area was combed through.

"Giants smite it!" Tatl exclaimed as Link sat down to rest by the guard post. "What do we do now? I mean South Clock Town is just so full, if the Stray Fairy was there it'd have been found by now. There's nowhere to hide in North Clock Town, and we searched everywhere else!"

"Isss…there…rrreally no…where…elssse?" Link asked, feeling concerned. What if the Stray Fairy wasn't even in the town anymore? What if it flew off to…well, whatever laid beyond the walls?

Tatl stayed silent for a bit, simply bobbing up and down in place. "Wait!" She exclaimed after a minute. "There's one last place! Come on!" Getting up, Link followed as Tatl flew off ahead of him. The two went back to South Clock Town and up a staircase that, after a moment, Link recognized. That's right! That boy in the Keaton Mask came from here…but where did it lead?

Going through a small pathway through towering walls, Link found himself in a remote area of Clock Town. It was the size of a small house in its entirety, a closed-off area with a manmade river running through it with a tiny stone bridge going over it. There was grass, flowers, a tree with lush green leaves as well. While there was a bench, and even a door leading off into some building farther on, the area was devoid of people. The only thing of note was exactly what the one thing Link and Tatl were looking for. Hovering above the water was an orange flowing creature: The Stray Fairy. "Th-There it is…" Link squeaked out.

"Of course, always in the last possible place!" Tatl exclaimed, sounding both relieved and annoyed. "You'll have to go get it. You should be able to hop across the water as you are now. Go on, Deku Boy!"

Hop across the water? Granted, Link _did_ feel a lot lighter, but was it really possible? As much as he didn't like Tatl…she had no reason to lie right now. Taking a deep breath, the Deku charged towards the water and, to his surprise, bounced off of its surface rather than just falling in. It was automatic, almost natural to him, and it propelled him towards the Stray Fairy. Kicking off of the water again, he reached out and gently but firmly grabbed the creature out of the air before landing on the other side of the small river.

The Stray Fairy feebly struggled for a moment but then, as if sensing Link's intentions, calmed down. "Young one! Please hear my plea! I have been broken and shattered to pieces by the masked Skull Kid! Please, return me to my fountain!"

"Of…c-course." Link promised, gently keeping the Stray Fairy in his grip as he went back over the bridge.

"Alright! Finally, you did something right, Deku Boy!" Tatl cheered backhandedly. Ignoring the nasty fairy, Link ran past her and towards North Clock Town, his companion following behind him. The more natural part of Clock Town was still rather empty. The only people out and about was the guard, the man on the balloon, and a few adults meandering through. Jim, noticeably, was absent.

Before long, the duo found themselves back at the Great Fairy's Fountain. As Link approached the water, he let the Stray Fairy go as the other pieces of the being emerged from the fountain's center. All the orange fairies flew around in a vortex-like motion and a light erupted that left both Link and Tatl seeing stars as a triumphant laughter echoed through the room. As their eyes recovered, the peered at the being before them.

The Great Fairy was, to Link's mild surprise, exactly like the ones back in Hyrule. A large woman, much larger than any mortal one, floated above the two. A stunningly beautiful face resting below waves of long, orange hair looked down at Link. The wardrobe was also quite similar, the Great Fairy wearing nothing but vines and leaves that left little to the imagination. Link had recalled the first time he saw a Great Fairy. He felt strange looking at the…unusual style of not-quite-clothing they wore. Afterward, he had asked Navi about it, but she quickly said she'd just tell him about it some other day.

Thinking about it…she never got back to that subject…

"Tatl…and you who are trapped in that altered shape…you have my thanks." The Great Fairy said. Her voice had a natural echo and force to it, though she sounded tired all the same. "I foolishly let my guard down around that masked imp and paid the price for it."

Apparently feeling braver than before, Tatl flew above Link and looked up to the Great Fairy. "So, the Skull Kid really did this to you? He's gotten that strong?"

"I am afraid so." The Great Fairy responded. "I am sapped of my energy, but I can still grant you power. As the Great Fairy of Magic, I extend my gift to you, cursed child." The air itself hummed with a mysterious force as the Great Fairy spoke.

Link started to feel light in the head as a strange sensation coursed through his body. He had felt this before, back with the Great Fairies in Hyrule. All of a sudden, Link felt a sort of…clearing in his throat. As if instantly recovering from a nasty cold. When the magical power in the air ebbed away, Link felt vaguely more comfortable in this new form of his, but not dramatically different. Still, he looked up to the Great Fairy. "Thank you. I…" He stopped in shock. His voice came out squeaky and unusual still, but now he was able to speak without exerting so much effort. "I…I can talk? What's…"

"I helped you settle into your new form as much as I could at the moment." The woman interrupted. "There is also a latent power within Dekus that I awoke within you. I insist you try using it, it may prove helpful."

Nodding, Link looked down at his wooden hands, flexing his fingers lightly. He had to wonder just what that power was. "Thank you, Great Fairy."

"Ah! Wait, before we leave!" Tatl interrupted, sounding nervous. "Great Fairy of Magic, please, do you know where the Skull Kid and my brother are? We're looking for them…"

The Great Fairy solemnly shook her head. "All I can say for certain is that the imp is nearby. Likely within Clock Town. I suggest going to the elderly man in the observatory outside of town. Surely he can aid you."

"The observatory guy, huh? Well…if you say he can help, I'm sure he must know something…" Tatl replied, not quite sounding confident and clearly trying to suck up to the Great Fairy.

"One more thing, Great Fairy." Link spoke up. "Please, may we rest in the fountain tonight? There is nowhere else for us to go."

Offering the two a small smile, the Great Fairy nodded. "Of course, you have more than earned the right. I myself must rest and regain my strength. I wish the two of you the best of luck!" Letting out another round of laughter, the magical being shrunk down into the water below and vanished in a flash of light.

There was a pause in the room, which Tatl broke as she flew in front of Link's face. "Well, at least we know the Skull Kid and Tael are in town, and where to go next. We'll have to talk to Jim about the observatory."

"Why Jim?" Link asked, moving away from the central part of the fountain and sitting against a wall.

"The Bombers guard the only direct path to the observatory. Didn't you notice that kid with the yellow bandana?" Link gave the fairy a nod. "See? You can use that brain of yours if you really try! I guess we'll have to wait until morning, though. Jim will probably be back soon after the sun comes up…"

Giving another nod, Link rested his head against the fountain wall. He only then realized just how exhausted he really was. Aside from a few brief rests in East Clock Town, he had been quite active since his nap that morning. Thinking further, he recalled he hadn't had anything to eat or drink since he cooked up that rabbit in the Lost Woods. What did Dekus even eat? Fruits and berries, he assumed. If he had Rupees, he could buy some food, but he was outright broke. He'd have to worry about that tomorrow. For now, he needed rest.

"Okay. We talk to Jim tomorrow. I'm going to sleep." Link said as he closed his alien orange eyes.

Tatl gave a grunt of acknowledgement as she perched on the cursed child's hat. "Right. Good night, Deku Boy." She said in a sarcastic, backhanded way.

"Link."

"What?"

"That's my name. Link." The Deku didn't think Tatl cared, but hopefully it would lead to her dropping that nickname.

There was a pause. "Link, huh?" The fairy's voice was impossible for the Deku to read. "I think I like Deku Boy better. I'll just stick with that."

Figures. Link should have known better. This was the fairy that helped steal away his horse and felt no guilt for being involved in his cursed nature, which was caused by her friend. Well, he only had two days left so surely within that time he'd part ways with her and never see her again. With those negative thoughts swirling in his head, Link fell asleep.

_Link didn't know how he managed to do it, but he escaped Termina. Somehow he got through those steel doors and left Clock Town behind. Unfortunately, he was unable to get the Ocarina of Time back or return to normal. Trapped as a Deku, he wandered through the Lost Woods. He was so exhausted, so ready for rest, but he had to get back to the castle…_

_As he went through the winding, infinite trees of the forest, a familiar figure appeared before him. Green clothes…green hair…it was Saria. Sitting on a stump in the middle of the Lost Woods was one of the most important people in his life. She had her eyes closed, Ocarina in hand as beautiful notes floated through the air and the leaves._

_Thank Farore! She could help him get out! Link sprinted towards his childhood friend, the one that knew Link inside and out more than any other living soul. As he got closer, he stopped and called out to the girl. "Ngghh! Frrruuuu!" What the heck was that?! No…he had learned to talk properly! Why was he still making these odd noises?!_

_Saria's eyes flew open as she looked down at Link. To his surprise and slight horror, she put on an expression of disgust as she gazed at the Deku. "Who are you? A Deku? What do you want?!"_

_What…? Why was she being so mean? This was Saria! She was nice to everyone! She had never expressed hatred for Dekus before, so why now? "Nghhaa! Llll…" No matter how hard Link tried, he just couldn't get the words out. _

"_Get away from me! I have nothing to say to something like you! Get out of here!" She yelled, her voice harsh and angry in a way Link had never heard before._

"_Mmmnnnggg…Rrraaffff…" Link squeaked out as he got closer. He had to somehow make her see who he was, that he was her Link. Her precious Link. _

_A foot shot out and rammed the Deku between the eyes, knocking him over. "I said get away! You're disgusting! Don't make me say it again!"_

_Terrified and panicking, Link scrambled to his feet and ran away. He felt so confused, so hurt, from Saria's words and actions. The cursed child felt tears streaming down his face as he ran through the trees, every direction he looked seeming exactly the same._

_Somehow, Link found himself before Lon Lon Ranch. How…did he get here? He was just in the forest, wasn't he? Well, no matter. Maybe he could somehow get Malon to see who he was! Without hesitation, he rushed into the ranch proper. There, he saw the only person he ever had romantic feelings for, his precious Malon, singing with the horses. When he approached her, to his relief, she at first seemed surprised but then smiled at him. "Hey! Who are you?" She tilted her head to the side. "You're one of those Deku things, right?"_

_Frantically, Link nodded. Of course Malon would simply accept his presence. That's just how she was! "Nggrrr…Graaa…"_

_That made Malon seemed concerned. "What's wrong? Can't you talk?" Link shook his head. "Well, that's okay. We can still be friends. You're from the forest, right?"_

"_Rrrnnngg…Ffffoooo…" Link gurgled, waving his hands about. How was he supposed to convey who he was? He couldn't speak, couldn't write, and he had nothing of his to show to her! Wait…his hat! It wasn't the same size, but it was very similar. The Deku patted at the overly large headwear of his._

"_Hm?" Malon seemed confused. "Hey…that hat…it's kind of like Link's! Do you know him?" A nod from the Deku. "He never told me he had a Deku friend before…how odd…"_

"_Mmrrrrrggh…." Link whined, not knowing what to do next._

"_You know, he went off to the forest a few days ago. I wonder how he's doing…" She trailed off, then gave the Deku a serious look. "If you're smart, you'll avoid him from now on."_

…_Avoid? What did she mean by that?_

_The farmgirl let out a bitter sounding sigh. "Honestly, I'm glad he's gone for a month. It will be a nice break. I'm so sick of him, my only regret is I let him take my horse." Her frown deepened. "He's just so NEEDY all the time. Always wanting to hold hands or be held…always wanting my attention. When we first met, he kept freaking out about stuff and crying constantly…it was so annoying! But I wanted to be nice, so I pretended to be his friend…what a mistake…"_

_Link couldn't believe what he was hearing. Just how long did Malon feel this way about him? Did she ever really love him at all? Or even like him? He remembered being suspicious at first, but Zelda had told him it was just paranoia. He was right…the whole time she was just pretending…_

"_Okay, Deku?" Malon asked, staring intently at Link. "Just stay away from Link. He's nothing but a leech. Alright?"_

_Using every fiber of his being not to cry, Link turned and ran away from Malon, who silently watched him go. He didn't know what to think. Why did she pretend all this time? Just out of pity? He knew it! Link had told Zelda numerous times how strange it was that Malon could tolerate him, and it turned out he was entirely right! Who could ever love him like that? No one. No one ever could…_

_Before Link knew it, he was in Zelda's garden. But…how? He wasn't even the Castle Town, and he had no memory of getting passed the guards. Still, he found himself where he and Zelda had first met. The Princess herself was kneeling just in front of him, her back turned to the wooden boy. Maybe she could help…maybe. "Zelda!" The Deku shouted out, surprised at how the word came out flawlessly. How come only now he could talk?!_

_That made Zelda jump in place. Standing up, she turned to see who was in her garden. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of her guest. "Who…Are you? A Deku Scrub? How did you get passed the guards?" She sounded cautious, but not overly worried. Just like when she and Link met for the first time…_

"_Zelda…It's me, it's Link!" The boy in wooden form exclaimed. Normally, him keeping his stoic mask meant not raising his voice, but he was panicking too much to keep up the charade. "I've been cursed! Please, help me!"_

_That seemed to further surprise the girl, and she didn't move from her spot. "I…I need some sort of proof. Tell me something Link would know."_

_Fair. If Link was in Zelda's shoes, he'd be uncertain of the situation as well. "This is where we first met! You gave me the Ocarina of Time before I went to the Lost Woods! I've lived in the castle for two years! I traveled through time!" He spouted out whatever he could think of as they entered his head._

"_You…You really are Link…" She murmured, approaching the boy and kneeling down so they were closer to eye-level. "What happened to you? Who did this?" She asked as she placed her hands on his shoulders. _

_Link couldn't help but feel slightly comforted at the touch. "A Skull Kid with some weird mask! He stole Epona, and the Ocarina, then turned me into…this! Please, I need help!"_

_To that, Zelda's face darkened. "The Ocarina…? You got it back…right?" Her grip on Link's shoulders hardened a bit._

"_I…N-No. I didn't. I'm sorry, but he was too powerful for me…" Link admitted, feeling like absolute scum._

_There was a pregnant pause, the air feeling with an almost audible tension. "You lost it…and you returned without getting it back?" Zelda asked coldly. "After all I've done for you, the time I've sacrificed trying to help…and this is how you repay me?" Her voice had grown cold and almost hateful, her eyes glaring into Link's._

_What? How could she say that? Didn't she care at all what had happened to him? Yes, he felt awful about losing the Ocarina, but was it really more important than him? "Z-Zelda…Please, I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to…If you help me become a Hylian again…I c-can go look for it!"_

_The Princess put on a face of disgust as she released Link and stood up. "You're revolting. After all of this, and you can't even keep a single instrument safe. Two years of my life wasted. I never, ever want to see you again!" Before Link could respond, she started to yell. "Guards! Guards! Intruder! Help!"_

_Almost instantly, as though they were there the whole time, two guards had grabbed Link by the arms and started to drag him off. The Deku struggled, but the men were simply too strong. "Zelda! Please, I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Don't do this! Help me, please! I'm sorry! I'm-"_

"Deku Boy! Hey, come on, get up!"

Link jolted awake, momentarily confused as to what was going on. Then, things rushed back. He was in the Great Fairy's fountain. Before his eyes was Tatl. On the ground was…a bunch of grapes? The Deku quickly mentally and emotionally recovered from the nightmare. That was far from the first time he had a dream like that, where those he held dear turned on him. It was sad to say, but he was used to such things. "What time is it?" He couldn't help but ask.

"It's a bit after six. Come on, I even got us something to eat! I…found it just a bit ago." Tatl said, gesturing to the grapes.

Looking closer, Link realized one grape was missing from the bunch. From the way Tatl talked, he knew these were stolen. Well…it couldn't be helped. Now he just had to figure out how to actually eat it. "Thank you." He knew Tatl didn't do it out of the kindness of her heart, but because he wouldn't be able to function without food. He plucked a grape and just…inserted it into his mouth. The small fruit got sucked up instantly and Link felt it enter his stomach. No chewing, huh?

Within a minute, the rest of the grapes were gone, and the wooden boy felt better. "Alright, you done? We gotta get going! Jim's out in his usual spot!" She said, flying towards the cave's entrance on her own. "Hurry up, Deku Boy!"

Withholding a sigh, Link got up and followed after the fairy, trying to get himself ready for the day ahead…

**Dawn of the Second Day – 48 Hours Remain**

When Link emerged from the cave, the first thing he noticed was that it was raining. The sky was a dreary grey as precipitation fell down from the heavens. It wasn't a downpour, thankfully, but Link still wasn't happy about it. Oh well, what was there to be done about it? Oddly, once Link actually stepped out into the rain, he found he didn't mind it as much as he usually did. In fact, it actually felt kind of nice! After a moment's thought, he chalked it up to being a Deku. After all, he was a plant…of sorts. The cursed boy really had no idea just how much of a Deku's body was plant and how much of it was…well, maybe these were thoughts for later.

As Tatl had said, Jim was out in his usual spot and clearly not bothered by the rain. Like yesterday, the young boy was trying to pop that balloon with the Skull Kid's mask on it with little success. Aside from the guard and the man in green floating above everyone else, the area was empty.

"Hey! Jim!" Tatl called out as she and Link approached the Bomber leader. "We need a favor!"

"Huh?" The boy turned to the two, looking up towards Tatl. "What? Another one?"

The fairy clicked her tongue. "Come on, keeping an eye out isn't a favor and you know it! This one's more concrete, you know?"

Letting out a small sigh, Jim nodded. "Okay Tatl, but only because the Deku kid's with you."

"Link."

"Huh?" Jim seemed surprised at how clearly Link was talking properly now. Like before, he quickly shrugged it off. "Right. Link. You've caused a lot of trouble for us, Tatl, so this next favor will be for Link, alright? After that, I don't know if I can help you in good conscious anymore."

The fairy scoffed. "Way to be dramatic, Jim. It's not like Skull Kid killed anyone!"

"Not the point." The Bomber leader argued. "What's the favor you need anyway?"

"The observatory." Link butted in. "We need to get there." He was so tired of the bickering and the back-and-forths between these two. He didn't even care about what it was the Skull Kid actually did in the past anymore.

To Link's annoyance, Jim shook his head. "Afraid I can't do that. You need the password to get there. To get the password, you need to be a Bomber."

"I'll join, then." Link countered instantly. A small part of him wanted to reach out and slap this Jim kid upside the head for being so stubborn.

That got the younger boy thinking. "Well…If you can pass a test, I'll give you the password at the very least. How about that?"

"You serious?!" Tatl exclaimed. "We don't have time for this! This is an emergency!"

"We can't just give the password to anybody, especially if you're involved, Tatl." Jim argued back, his tone quite fitting for his age; childish and slightly haughty.

The fairy let out a groan. "Alright, alright! Just tell us the test!"

"Okay, you wait here. I'm gonna gather the other Bombers, and then the test can begin!" Before Link or Tatl could respond, Jim ran off towards East Clock Town, leaving them alone in the rain.

"I can't believe we have to deal with these brats…" Tatl murmured as she floated about. "They were always this annoying, before you ask."

Link wasn't going to ask that. "Why do they guard the path to the observatory?"

"It's their little secret club, basically." The fairy huffed. "The old guy there lets them play about his observatory and look at the stuff he has and his telescope. That's it, really. The Bombers act all important, but they're just dumb kids that never really help anyone."

To Link, it sounded like he would fit right in. Just a stupid kid that never ended up saving anyone. He'd be the perfect member. "What will the test be?"

"How the heck should I know?! Would you just shut up? I liked it better when you could barely talk." Tatl snapped, taking a seat on top of Link's hat.

Such an awful fairy she was. Even at this point it surprised Link at how nasty she could be. While most of the Kokiri mistreated him growing up, the fairies with them never participated in the torment, usually watching silently as they hovered about. The sole exception being a fairy that Mido got to pretend to be Link's Guardian Fairy. Fairies, by nature, tended to be helpful and kind creatures when they weren't being shy, whether they be Guardian Fairies, Healing Fairies, Great Fairies, or even just normal fairies without an explicit role to play.

Tatl's odd nature aside, Link let the words role off him and obeyed. As he stood there in the rain, he began to notice more how nice it felt. It was hard to explain, but it was as if a thirst he didn't know he had was constantly being quenched. Thinking about the rain made him think about the Moon. He hadn't looked at it since he took that nap early yesterday morning. His morbid curiosity scratched at his mind, demanding that he look up and take a peek. As much as he didn't want to, Link felt his head turning upwards, his gaze going up past the Clock Tower…

It was bigger.

Or maybe closer. It didn't really matter. The point was, the Moon was changing, becoming a more imminent threat to the town below it. Link could deny it all he wanted but that wouldn't stop what was up above his head. The scowling, monstrous chunk of rock above glared down at Clock Town as if in hatred, as if the people below did something to wrong it. Link still held the theory that the Skull Kid was behind this. There was something wrong with that imp, or more the mask he wore. While the Deku had no proof, he felt strongly that the purple object was somehow the source of his power.

"You noticed it too?" Tatl asked, interrupting Link's thoughts. "It's getting bigger…or falling. Whatever it is, it's dangerous."

Link chose not to respond, partly as a petty move towards the fairy. After all, she told him to stop talking, didn't she? He scolded himself internally for being so childish, but he just couldn't help it. The Deku felt all the stress over the last few days was getting to him. His thoughts of lashing out at Jim, even just a slap on the head, was so unlike him. Once this was over, he could just go back to the castle and unwind. No, not quite. Before he could go back to the castle, he would have to break the news to Malon about her horse…Goddesses, what would he say? What _could_ he say? Apologies wouldn't cut it; she loved that horse like a member of the family…and he let her die.

Pushing the thoughts away, Link looked down from the Moon and gazed at the Clock Town wall. He just needed to focus on the present, not the future. He would cross that bridge when he came to it. For now, he just had to get that mask away from the Skull Kid and get his Ocarina back. Then, hopefully, that horrifying Moon would stop or go away, and he could return home.

So, Link kept his mind blank as the two waited for Jim. It was a long and uneventful wait, taking well over an hour for the boy to return. When he finally walked back into the area, he was followed by four other boys, all wearing blue bandanas. To Link's mild disturbance, he noticed that all of them looked very similar to each other. Twins he's seen before, triplets he's heard of, but was six children like that possible? What would that even be called?

"Alright, now the test can start!" Jim announced as he and the other boys stood before Link and Tatl.

"About time…" The fairy mumbled, quietly enough so only Link could hear her.

"Your test is to find the five of us before nightfall. Hide-and-seek, essentially. We won't hide indoors, and of course we can't leave town." Jim explained.

Hide-and-seek, huh? Link remembered hearing about that with the Kokiri. Only Saria would play with him, and it wasn't quite the same with two people, at least that was the idea that Link got. "That's it?" The Deku asked.

"That's it." Jim echoed.

"You've got to be kidding! This is stupid! We don't have time for your games!" Tatl yelled out.

Jim gave Tatl a dirty look. "Take it or leave it, we can't hand out the code to just anyone."

"We agree to your rules." Link interrupted, not wanting a long argument to break out.

The Bomber leader looked over to Link with an almost grateful gaze. "Alright, then it's a deal! Okay Link, close your eyes and count to sixty, then start looking!"

And so, the game was on. Ignoring Tatl's grumbling, Link did as asked. Thankfully, he was able to count all the way to a hundred without using his fingers. Once he reached sixty, the search was on. The Deku decided to try North Clock Town first, as there was a lot less places to hide there. Unfortunately, it seemed the Bombers had the same idea. What few hiding places there were yielded no results.

Heading to South Clock Town, Link noticed there were even less people than yesterday when he first emerged from the Clock Tower. He applied part of it to the rain, but he had to wonder…were there people evacuating? He truly hoped so. The Deku recalled yesterday how so few people seemed to acknowledged the Moon hanging above their heads. He saw some of them look up to the sky in worry, but then go over to a stall and buy a mask. He heard a man whisper to a woman he was with about the Moon, but she scoffed and said that everything would be fine. Link wanted to feel disgusted towards the people for their stubborn nature and their denial over the obvious. Yet he himself fell into a state of denial himself, or at the very least he pushed the thoughts away. Did that really make him any better?

All Link could say for sure was that he was probably the only one in town who had any chance of stopping the Skull Kid, despite his countless failures in Hyrule. He wouldn't allow so many people to die on his watch. Not again. Sadly, all of that would have to wait until this game of hide-and-seek was over.

Thankfully, Tatl's knowledge of the nooks and crannies of Clock Town proved invaluable during the game the Bombers forced on them. Even then, there was a lot of places to look and a lot of ground to cover. Not to mention the Bombers never said they would hide in only one place the entire time. Link recalled seeing a flash of blue dart out now and again from an alleyway and into another.

The hours went by surprisingly fast, with Link and Tatl not stopping at all for any kind of rest. Even when one of the Bombers was found, they still had to be tagged to be counted. If Link was in his normal body, that'd be no problem at all, but with his shorter legs, it was difficult. The cursed boy was stuck having to just keep chasing each Bomber until they got too worn out to keep going, then tagging them.

As the town was combed over a second time, Link noticed that as the hours passed, even the bustling East Clock Town never got as busy was it was yesterday. Once more, Link thought of the rain being the main culprit. But, as he and Tatl searched, Link noticed a number of people leaving through the various gates around town. Most of the time, these people seemed to have their entire livelihood on their backs, with pairs of parents leading confused children past the guards into…whatever it was that existed outside the town walls. He found himself feeling a bit relieved that some people were smartening up and leaving town.

"Aw, you got me!" The fifth and last Bomber exclaimed, by sheer coincidence being Jim himself, as Link closed a wooden hand around his arm. He had finally slowed down just as he neared the man who looked like the beggar from Hyrule

Panting, Link nodded as in confirmation of Jim's words. "You're the last one…The others are waiting in North Clown Town."

Despite his disappointed shout, Jim gave the Deku a smile. "Good work, Link, you sure got us all fast! Come on, let's go!"

"You really pushed us back a ways, you know that?! It's half past eleven!" Tatl scolded the Bomber leader as the duo followed him.

Jim scoffed. "Hey, it wouldn't be much of a test if it was easy, would it?" He ignored the fairy as she let out an annoyed sigh. Soon, the five Bombers stood before the Deku and fairy. "Alright, you got us all fair and square! Normally, this would let you join the Bombers. But, thinking about it, I don't know if I want a non-human in the group. Not after last time. What say you, Bombers, should we let him in?"

Without hesitation, the four Bombers in blue shook their heads. "No way! No Scrubs!" One of them yelled out.

Link instantly got over feeling bad about his thoughts of wanting to clock Jim over the head. Before he was able to move or voice his opinion, Tatl piped up, her light going red. "Are you kidding me?! You little brats, this isn't some game to us, you know! We-"

"Hold on! Hold on!" Jim interrupted, holding his hands up in surrender. "We won't allow you to join us, but since this seems so important, you can go down to the observatory, alright?"

Tatl's light faded back to white as she calmed down. "Alright…Well…good. That's really all we wanted."

"Right! So, the password is…" Jim looked around, as if prying ears could be anywhere. Save for the guard and the man who was still up on his balloon, North Clock Town was empty. Despite this, the boy went up and whispered by where Link's ear would be. "…5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Got that?"

While Link had calmed down along with Tatl, he still felt annoyed at the simplicity of the password. "…Right. Got it."

Without a thanks or even a second glance, Link walked away from Jim and his Bombers, heading to East Clock Town as Tatl followed. "Giants abound, those brats…" The fairy muttered as the two got out of earshot. "All that time wasted for such a stupid password! Can you believe it?"

To his mild disturbance, Link found himself on the exact same page as Tatl. "All that matters is we have it now."

"Not when times is of the essence! We wasted over five hours on those idiots!" The fairy argued, letting out a huff when Link didn't converse further.

The Bomber in the yellow bandana was right where he was last time Link saw him. The younger boy eyed the Deku suspiciously as he approached, standing at the ready as if expecting an attack. "Hey, only those with the password can get into our hideout!" The child's eyes widened in surprise as Link delivered the password to him. "Huh. Well, if you know the password, Jim must trust you. Fine, you can go on through." Not giving the child another glance, Link and Tatl went by him and into the passageway below.

The first thing Link noticed as he entered the underground area was the lit torch in front of him as the sunlight behind him faded away. The Deku found himself in an area of laid stone, the sound of the fire crackling and running water filling the air. As Link approached the torch, he looked about at the ugly, dark area around him. The moist bricks, the man-made river running through with fish swimming about, and a bit of childish touches in the form of chalk drawings on the wall. A lot of what was drawn was too messy or disfigured by the building moisture to be made out, and there was a lot of writing too which was pure gibberish to Link.

"Some hideout, huh?" Tatl asked rhetorically. "Just as boring and ugly as ever. I guess the real treat for the Bombers is the observatory itself…But whatever, let's get moving."

Giving a silent nod, Link went forward through the hideout, having to sometimes hop along the water to reach platforms of stone as he progressed. More torches lit the way where no natural light could reach. A part of him wondered if this man-made river connected to the ones at the Clock Tower or where the Stray Fairy was found. He had a hunch that was the case. As the river was crossed, Link swore a scuttling sound pierced the air. "Did you hear something?" He asked Tatl as he carefully walked onward.

"Yeah…Might be something dangerous…" She said with surprising sincerity. Link had almost expected her to somehow scold him for pointing out something potentially important.

Link saw the hole in the ceiling and knew exactly what was going to happen next as he realized the scuttling was coming from up there. Tatl let out a startled noise as a large white shape descended from its hiding place, blocking the one and only path forward: A Skulltula.

Despite not vocally showing it, Link found himself afraid too. Outside of his nightmares, the cursed boy hadn't seen combat or any kind of monsters for two years. The closest he had ever truly gotten was hunting and the brief struggle with the Skull Kid. He hadn't even picked up his sword or a shield during the time and recalled how his hands shook as he held them in his hands again as he prepared for his search for Navi.

The Skulltula chittered, breaking Link's thoughts as it hovered before the duo from a strong strand of web. Its thick white shell in the shape of a deformed skull seemed to stare directly into Link's eyes, but he knew the real staring came from the cluster of glowing red orbs below. Its long, yellow and black legs twitched and shifted as its potential prey stood before it. By this point, Link knew that Skulltula where cautious hunters, waiting for its prey to get close before striking. It wouldn't make a move until Link did.

"Hey! What are you doing?! Squish that thing!" Tatl yelled out, floating well behind Link and away from the monstrous spider.

"How?" Link asked, not taking his eyes off the creature. "I'm too weak to use my bare hands." With no sword, no shield, and no bow, Link was stumped on what to do.

There was a pause from the fairy. "That's…right. You're pretty much useless now, huh?" She noted. "Eh…Wait! The magic you have now! You've never tried it before, maybe it can kill this thing!"

Of course, the Great Fairy's gift! Link had nearly forgotten about that! Granted, he didn't actually want to kill the Skulltula. He held no pity for monsters, but just the act of killing made him feel so sick and revolting on the inside. Perhaps he could just wound it. But what were his powers? After a moment of thought, Link felt stupid for not realizing. He must be able to shoot Deku Nuts! The wooden child had no idea if that was actually a magical ability, but what else could it be? Of course, the question was how to actually _do_ it…

Well, the Deku Nuts came from the mouth, so Link tried to concentrate…something around there. With all the alien body parts both internal and external, he wasn't quite sure what to focus on. He kept trying, Tatl watching him expectantly as he made a few squeaking sounds as he tried to bring forth his magic. After a few minutes, he felt something finally working, something building up near his mouth. To his surprise, it wasn't a Deku Nut but…

"A bubble?" Tatl asked aloud. Out of Link's circular mouth, a large bubble was forming. "I've seen Dekus spit out Deku Nuts, but never a bubble! Is this the magic power?"

The strange bubble built and built, Link not sure if he was doing something right or wrong here. It started to grow so big that he didn't know how much longer until it burst. With a push, he expelled the bubble out of his mouth, and it flew towards his target. With a loud and echoing pop, the Skulltula's true face was covered in the bubble's remains. While it didn't seem to be seriously wounded, the creature was clearly startled and had its vision impaired as it let out a screeching noise and quickly ascended to recuperate.

Wasting no time, Link and Tatl ran past the ceiling's hole and out of the Skulltula's range. Neither stopped until they reached a large room, one that was drier than the hallway they came from. On the floor and walls were more, cleaner, chalk drawings. At the room's other end stood an old, but sturdy, wooden ladder leading into yet another passageway. "So, _that's_ the magic you can use now? A bubble?" Tatl asked as the two of them stopped for a moment.

The Deku child gave a shrug. "It appears that way, yes. I didn't know Dekus could do that."

"Me neither, I-" Tatl started, but was interrupted as the room shook about. While the fairy couldn't feel it, the rumbling was audible, and she could see Link stagger. Then, just as quickly as it started, the shaking ceased. "What…Was that an earthquake?!"

While Link had heard of earthquakes, he had never experienced one himself, finding it hard to keep his footing as the room shook. He at least managed to not fall over as the shaking stopped. "I…Guess so. Are those normal in Termina?"

"No! I mean…I don't think so? I don't think I've ever been there for one." Tatl responded. After a pause, she shook her heard. "Well, whatever. It's fine now, so let's keep going!" She flew up where the ladder lead. "The observatory is right up this ladder, come on!"

Trying to shrug off the strange shaking, Link nodded and quickly ascended the ladder. Just as Tatl said, it was but a short walk down the hallway before the two reached an actual building. The room before them as small and circular in nature. Against the wall sat dusty boxes that seemed as if they hadn't been opened in decades. There were various knick-knacks like small urns and a globe sitting among the boxes, all just as dusty. There were also valuable looking objects such as a sort of crystal kept in a glass box nestled underneath a winding staircase. A single, closed door lead off to who-knew-where. A Cucco napped in a cage hanging over a small square garden with turnips and radishes growing healthily despite the lack of sunlight. It seemed the man here didn't like to go to the store often. That got Link thinking. Just where was he? He must be outside the town walls considering the path he had to take to get here. Pushing those thoughts aside, he noticed that the Bombers liked to be here too, as on the floor were a number of toys and masks left behind as well as crude crayon drawings on old, faded pieces of paper. On the wall was a miniature version of the massive clock on the Clock Tower, showing that it was getting close to noon.

"The telescope is upstairs, let's look there first." Tatl suggested, once more flying ahead of Link as she went up the staircase.

Link followed suit, coming into another circular room with strange and colorful floor tiles. Most of the room was taken by a massive telescope, larger than any Link had ever seen in his life which momentarily astounded him. The only other objects of note were another door, and a strange blue stone in a glass case that seemed to glow in the light. At the peering end of the telescope was an elderly and hunchbacked man in a blue robe, currently looking into the massive instrument. As Link approached, the man turned to look at him and Tatl, and he found himself startled once again.

This man was another familiar face. The wooden boy clearly recalled the old man who shared the story of the Man Who Could See the Truth in the dark and decayed timeline. There was no mistaking it, no handwaving it away as just a similar looking old man. The clothes, the hunched figure, the bushy white mustache and kind eyes…they were all exactly the same. Not to mention, Link had seen this man a number of times in the marketplace in this timeline, even seeing him the day he left for the Lost Woods. It was absolutely impossible for this man to get here before Link and establish himself in the community like this. Just…what was going on? These other similar people had explanations, some more desperate than others, but the only logical conclusion here was that this observatory owner looked exactly like a certain old man back in Hyrule.

As these thoughts bounced around in Link's skull, the man studied the Deku and fairy before him, offering them a kindly smile. "Well, well…an unusual child here today. Are you a new member of the Bombers?" He asked and continued on without waiting for a reply. "You already seem much better than that last one, that imp with that mask…"

At those words, Tatl hid behind Link's head once more. The Deku needed a few moments to find his voice, trying not to ponder on the strange mystery before him. "I just got the password. I'm not a member."

"Ah…I see." The elderly man responded. "Those kids have gotten overly cautious, I see. Try not to hold it against them. They really are good boys deep down." The man seemed to realize something. "Ah! My manners! Please, call me Professor Shikashi. What's your name, young lad?"

The Deku wished he had gotten the old man's name back in Hyrule, for the sake of comparison. Still, there were other things to focus on now! "Link. My name is Link, sir." He replied politely. "We were told that you may be able to help us find the Skull Kid."

That made the professor's brows knit together. "Ah, that scamp…I was just looking at him through the telescope here."

"What?!" Tatl shouted out, forgoing her hiding and flying out into the open again. "You just saw him?!"

Seeming unphased by Tatl's yelling, Shikashi nodded. "That's right. Please, look through the telescope and take a look." He said to Link, stepping aside to make room.

Not being able to believe his luck, Link looked into the telescope and finally saw the outside of the Clock Town walls. It was these walls that he saw first. Plain white with strange red drawings splayed across them. The walls, and the town itself, seemed so much larger from the outside. This of course confirmed Link's light suspicion on where the observatory was. On top of this, Link was able to see flat, grassy fields outside of the towns walls, and even got a glimpse at mountains off in the distance. Tall, white natural structures that seemed to almost claw towards the heavens above. But Link had no interest for the mountains. He had only one thing he wanted to see.

"Where is the Skull Kid?" The Deku asked.

"The Clock Tower. Look at the top!" The elderly man replied. "If you turn the knob on the side, it will let you look about."

It took Link only a few seconds to work out how things worked and got the telescope's gaze to the top of the Clock Tower. Shikashi had been right. There, standing calmly on the stone fist at the tower's peak, was the Skull Kid. Still wearing that horrid mask, the troublemaker gazed off towards the mountains as a tiny purple light hovered above his head. Suddenly, the Skull Kid stiffened, whipped his head around and looked directly into the telescope.

"Is he there?! What do you see?!" Tatl demanded.

Link was stunned, but not too entirely surprised. After all he had seen the Skull Kid do, being able to sense when he was being watched was hardly far-fetched. What did surprise the Deku was when the Skull Kid looked away from Link, and up towards the sky. Using the telescope to follow his gaze, Link peered at the ominous Moon, now looking even closer than before. To the cursed boy's further astonishment, some sort of flaming object fell from the Moon's eye, crashing somewhere on the ground nearby with a loud boom.

"My, my, what was that?!" Shikashi exclaimed as Link took his head away from the telescope and looked up at the old man. "That sounded like the crashing of a Moon's Tear. Go on outside and take a look, young lad."

"Wait! What about the Skull Kid?!" Tatl asked before Link could even take a step. "You saw him, right?!"

The Deku gave a nod. "I did, yes. He was at the top of the Clock Tower."

"Of course, he was right above our heads from the very start!" The fairy let out an annoyed sigh.

"How could he get up there?" Link asked both Shikashi and Tatl, hoping at least one of them had the answer.

"Well…Normally a path opens up at the start of the Carnival of Time." The old man explained, seeming to momentarily forget about the crashing object. "As to how he got up there early…who can say?"

"So, we just have to wait for the Carnival of Time to start, then." Tatl sounded calm in saying those words.

Carnival of Time? Link could ask about what that was later on. "When does the path open?"

"Just as it does every year." The professor explained. "Tomorrow at the stroke of midnight, the Clock Tower's upper doors will open up. Now, I insist you go outside and see about that crash. Moon's Tears are quite valuable, you know."

Link had to admit; he was curious as to just what a Moon's Tear actually was. Leaving Tatl as she tried to get him to stay, the Deku opened the one and only door in the room and headed outside. As it turned out, the observatory was fenced off from the fields around it, the barrier too high even for Link's Hylian form to easily climb. Embedded in the stone ground, mere feet from the door, was a familiar glowing blue stone. It looked almost exactly the same as the one in the glass case inside, except slightly bigger. The Deku had a dreary thought…if the Skull Kid truly controlled that Moon…could he control when and where these stones fell? Was he trying to hit Link through the telescope? Deciding not to think about it, Link went over and hesitantly touched the stone. He was surprised to find it was a bit warm, but perfectly safe to handle despite being on fire a mere minute ago. Perhaps it was the rain that helped it cool down so fast?

It was a bit awkward given his smaller size, but Link managed to take the glowing stone with him inside. "Ah!" Shikashi exclaimed as soon as he saw the object in Link's hands. "Just as I thought, a Moon's Tear! I insist, Link, take that with you. After all, you saw it land, so the claim is yours. Besides, I already have one for myself." He nodded to his own Moon's Tear in its glass case. "You could probably get quite a lot of money if you find the right buyer, you know…"

Money didn't interest Link, not having known it even existed until he was ten. Still…perhaps he could get _some_ use out of it. At best, maybe he could give it away as a gift. Girls like shiny stones, right? Maybe one of his friends back home would want it. He would want to give it to Malon first and foremost, if only to try and make up for losing her horse. Link didn't quite grasp all the implications of giving a gift like this in place of losing a beloved horse. He just wanted to try and make up for his failure.

"You sure you can lug that think around, Deku Boy?" Tatl asked not even trying to hide her condescending thoughts.

"I'll manage."

"Well, I'm glad I could help you find that troublemaker." Shikashi said. "Is there any other way I can help you, Link?"

The Deku shook his head. "No, thank you. We really should be going, actually."

Nodding, the kind old man offered Link a warm smile. "Well, if you ever want to come by here again, feel free. I always welcome company."

Offering the helpful professor another thank you, Link made his way down the stairs, his Moon's Tear in tow. Tatl followed, and the two silently made their way back out of the Bomber's Hideout. Getting down the ladder was a challenge, Link nearly dropping the precious stone and getting no help from his companion. The Skulltula was dealt in the same manner as before, and Link found that he could still hop along the water, even with the Moon's Tear by some miracle. The return trip was far slower, and Link even stopped at the entrance to Clock Town to catch his breath.

By the time the duo emerged into Clock Town once again, it was half past noon.

"I guess there's not much we can do for now." Tatl pointed out. "We know exactly where the Skull Kid is and how to get to him…we just have to wait."

Link nodded as he carried the Moon's Tear awkwardly and went towards South Clock Town. He wasn't even sure why he was walking that way, but a part of him felt the need to keep moving. "It seems that way. I-"

Whatever Link was going to say got cut off. He was looking up at Tatl as he walked and ran into a pair of legs, the impact knocking him onto his back and almost making him drop his Moon's Tear. Sitting up, Link heard a harsh voice bark from above. "Agh! Bother! Bother! Watch where you're going!"

That voice…it sounded so familiar. Slightly dazed, Link shook his head a bit to ward of his dizziness. "I'm sorry. I-"

Once more, Link was cut off, but it was him stilling his voice that did it this time. Standing before Link and glaring down at him was Ingo. Except…it couldn't possibly be. Yet there he was, the Uncle of his girlfriend was towering over the cursed child, wearing some kind of colorful shirt with a strange circular collar. Like with Shikashi, there was no mistaking it. This man looked _exactly_ like Ingo, save for the outfit. This was another case where Link had seen Ingo with his own two eyes the day he departed. So, what, the farmhand simply left Lon Lon Ranch and made his way to Clock Town? All before two weeks had passed?

When Link didn't continue his sentence, the Ingo lookalike scoffed and went about on his way, mumbling to himself about stupid children.

"He's sure got a stick where the sun doesn't shine." Tatl commented as Link stood up, the Deku staring after the familiar looking man.

Link didn't even hear Tatl. His mind was just too busy racing. What was going on? Why were there so many familiar faces here? Some he could explain away, yet others were impossible to deny. There was something wrong here, something not even remotely close to normal. But what was it? Was the Deku simply going mad? Were these supposed lookalikes not really that similar to people he knew in appearance, but he just saw them that way? Was it just some huge coincidence that there just so happened to be people that looked exactly like ones from Hyrule? No, that'd just be ridiculous. But…what other explanations made sense?

"…I'm going to the Great Fairy's Fountain." Link said, turning around and heading back towards North Clock Town.

"Huh? Why?" Tatl asked, following the Deku.

"Rest. It's like you said, until midnight tomorrow, there's nothing more to be done."

"Huh. Yeah, that's true. Looks like you made a smart suggestion for a change, Deku Boy."

Ignoring Tatl, Link went back to the fountain as he said he would. Jim was so engrossed in still trying to pop his balloon, that he didn't even notice Link walk by. Sitting against the fountain wall, Link placed the Moon's Tear beside him. Doing everything he could to keep his mind blank, Link closed his eyes and soon let exhaustion carry him into slumber…

The next six or so hours were spent with Link drifting in and out of sleep and unable to stay asleep for more than a half hour or so at a time. Tatl took position on top of his hat as usual. Two things would wake him up; the ground shaking again, which neither he nor Tatl commented on, or some nightmare that he instantly forgot the details of. He was thankful that the fairy he was with kept her mouth shut. The last thing he wanted was to speak to her, or anyone else. He just didn't want to think. He just wanted to go home.

As the sun set, Link's eyes closed once more, and he drifted into his deepest sleep of the day.

**Night of the Second Day – 36 Hours Remain**

_Link did it. He got the mask back, along with his Ocarina, and presented them to the Happy Mask Salesman. Currently he was going through the Lost Woods, now a Hylian and trying to leave the magical forest. The only thing he was missing of great importance was Epona. What was he going to tell Malon? How would she react? It almost didn't matter, because there was no avoiding it. Even before returning the Ocarina of Time to Zelda, he had to do this. The boy felt he would rather brave that cursed well and the monstrosity with infinite hands once more than have to tell Malon what had happened. _

_Next thing Link knew, he was standing at Lon Lon Ranch's entrance once more. He didn't even recall leaving the Lost Woods, but apparently he somehow spaced out. His legs feeling like lead, the Hylian youth entered the familiar location with the darkest dread nestled in his gut. _

_Standing where she usually did during the day, Malon gazed up at the sky with a serene look on her face. To Link's mild surprise, none of the horses were out and about. Were they all in the barn? Why? It was such a beautiful day outside! Shaking the thoughts away, as they were unimportant, Link walked towards the redhead. _

_As he approached, Malon looked down from the sky and beamed at the boy. It was a look that usually made Link's stomach flutter. Despite how broken he was, that one simple look was able to make him feel calmer. Now, it just made his insides shrivel with guilt. He knew he didn't deserve her smile, and in fact he never once deserved so much as her attention. _

"_Link! You're back!" The farmgirl exclaimed, closing the distance between the two. "Did you find Navi? Were you…" Malon paused. "Where's…Where's Epona?" She looked around, as if the young filly would simply pop out of thin air, galloping towards her owner. "Where is she?"_

_The look Malon gave Link made the guilt feel even heavier within him. A gaze of concern and confusion that should never be on the face of someone like her. At first, Link couldn't muster up the ability to even reply, as if his tongue had been stuck to the roof of his mouth. After a few moments, he cleared his throat and managed to say three small words. "I'm…sorry, Malon."_

_That just made the redhead more confused. "Sorry? Sorry about what? Link, where is Epona?" She asked more urgently this time._

_Finding it hard to look Malon in the face, but forcing himself to, Link swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat. "She's gone, Malon. I've lost her."_

_There was a pregnant pause. "…Lost her? What do you mean you lost her?" She still just seemed more confused than anything, as if the sentence she said simply didn't make any kind of sense._

"_She was stolen. An imp, he…he took her away from me. I tried to get her back; I really did." Link realized how pathetic he sounded; a Skull Kid managing to steal away something of his so easily. "By the time I caught up with him, she was…gone. As in…dead."_

_There was another pause, one longer than the last. "You…You let Epona die?" Her voice was hollow, no hint of emotion within it._

"_I didn't mean to, Malon. I did everything I could, but-" Link was interrupted as a burning pain covered his left cheek and found himself almost staggering. It took him a moment to realize that Malon has slapped him across the face. The look on her face was now one of fury, the kind of anger he had never seen on her before._

"_You let Epona die!" She screamed, tears forming in her eyes. "I trusted you with my horse, and you got her killed!"_

_Slowly, Link brought a hand to his cheek, feeling tears welling up in his own eyes. "Malon, please, I'm so sorry…I did everything I could to save her, but I just…" What could he say? What could he possibly say to justify what happened?_

"_Get out."_

"…_What?" Link asked, his voice cracking slightly._

"_I said get out!" Malon screamed, pointing to the ranch's exit. "Get out of here, I never want to see your face ever again!" _

_Link knew he deserved this treatment, but the words still pierced him in a way he didn't think he could handle. "Please…Please, Malon, I'm so sorry…I tried to save her…"_

_Glaring into his eyes, Malon said the worst phrase he could ever imagine from her: "I hate you, Link!"_

The Deku's eyes flew open. Glancing about the room, everything was as he left it. The fountain's pond still shimmered magically, the Moon's Tear shone a brilliant blue, and he was still a cursed freak. The one thing he didn't see, or rather hear, was the sound of Tatl lightly snoring on his hat. Cautiously, he reached up and felt all about his headwear, realizing she was gone. Maybe she went off to get more food…

With a heavy sigh, Link stared off ahead. He was used to dreams where his friends turned on him, but this one just felt so much more intense than usual. Maybe it was the added stress of the situation he was in that made him feel as bad as he did. His heart felt like it was in a strong grip, and his body felt heavy and made of stone rather than wood. Gazing to the cave entrance, he saw light streaming in from outside, a very faint light.

The wooden boy turned back and was contemplating whether he should try and sleep again when a voice rang out. "Hey! You're awake, huh?" It was Tatl.

Turning back to the cave entrance, the fairy was slowly flying towards him, another bunch of grapes in her grasp. As she dropped it to the fountain floor and ripped a grape off, Link looked down at her. "More stolen food?"

"You're welcome, brat." She almost sneered back. "Eat up. Don't want you complaining about being hungry later."

"…Thank you." Link said quietly as he ate his breakfast. He realized as he ate that he hadn't had any water since before Epona was stolen, yet he wasn't thirsty. Maybe being rained on was an equivalent process for Dekus? It certainly made sense to him. As the last grape went down, he looked towards the cave entrance again. "What time is it?"

"A bit after six." Tatl responded. "We need to get going. There's a problem."

Seriously? A problem? "What kind of problem?"

"Come on, I'll show you." Not waiting for a reply, the fairy took to the air and flew out of the cave entrance.

Grabbing the Moon's Tear, Link slowly stood up and followed after his unwanted companion and stepped out into the morning sun.

**Dawn of the Final Day – 24 Hours Remain**

The first thing Link noticed when stepping out of the cave was that the rain had stopped. The grass shone in the morning light with the remaining moistness left by the precipitation. The second thing Link noticed was that both Jim and the odd man with the balloon were gone. The only person left in North Clock Town was the guard, who was looking up at the sky with an uneasy frown on his face. That was what directed Link to the third thing. Even though he knew it was coming, Link felt his stomach clench when he followed the guard's gaze and saw the Moon was bigger and closer than ever.

"Come on, let's keep going. It's in South Clown Town!" Tatl called, leading Link onward.

Still feeling uneasy from the Moon, Link followed Tatl and soon they were in the main square of South Clock Town. The Deku felt a bit disturbed to see how barren this part of town was. Even this early in the morning, at least two days ago, there were a couple of people bustling about. Today, the only two people Link saw was the guard and Mutoh, standing before a small tower where that platform had been. Aside from them, a single dog also scampered about the area, unaware of the danger it was in. The carpenter boss seemed absolutely fuming about something, arms crossed with his glare fixated on the Moon.

"What's wrong? No one being here? They just evacuated, didn't they?" Link was calmed at the idea of people escaping, but even then the emptiness of the town felt…wrong to him.

"No, not that, you idiot!" Tatl scolded. "The tower is incomplete!" She pointed towards the structure Mutoh was standing in front of. "Normally, the tower has a bridge attached it leading towards the Clock Tower, allowing people to get to the top, but the carpenters are all gone now!"

If Link had flesh, his face would've gone white at that. "So…There's no way up there?" He looked up at the Clock Tower, for the first time actually noticing the small platform underneath the massive clock and the wooden door leading further into it. There were no stairs or ramp to get up there, just sheer tower wall.

"Unless you sprout wings like me there sure isn't!" Tatl replied, sounding both frustrated and defeated. "I just don't know what to do now!"

Wracking his brain, Link looked about South Clock Town, trying to think of some sort of solution. "There has to be something we can use. Some sort of spare ladder tall enough to get up there."

"I…I guess we might as well try. What else can we do?"

So, the two began a search. All around South Clock Town, the two looked for something, _anything_, that could be used to reach that platform that almost taunted the duo. Not wanting to give up, the two spend four hours exhausting all possible options, to no avail.

It was as the two were starting to give up hope, that Link saw something up in the sky. "Is that a Deku?" He asked, placing the Moon's Tear on the ground and pointing upward. Above the two, flying by strange leafy propellers out of some strange orange hat, was the fattest Deku that Link had ever seen. Rotund and shaped like a cartoonish depiction of a tear, the wooden creature flew by and closer to the Clock Tower.

"Follow him! Maybe we can…I don't know, borrow whatever is making him fly!" Tatl yelled.

Picking up his blue stone, Link followed Tatl's order and followed the airborne Deku. To Link's surprise, he floated down towards a golden flower similar to the one the cursed boy had used to fly in that underground area. Goddesses, that seemed like weeks ago. The flower was tucked by a wall that was a pale white, the plant nearly blending in with it. It was no wonder Link had never noticed it before, it was practically invisible unless he was looking right at it despite it being mere yards away from the Clock Tower's ground entrance. Somehow, the large Deku managed to burrow his way into the flower, disappearing entirely.

Approaching the large plant, Link called out. "Sir? Hello? Can you hear me?"

As quickly as he went in, the Deku Scrub popped out of his flower. "Yes? Yes, hello?" His orange eyes honed in on Link. A wooden hand reached up and stroked what seemed to pass for a mustache for this Deku, two leaves on either side of his mouth.

"Hey, that flower can make those floating flower things appear, right?" Tatl asked urgently.

Gazing over at the fairy, seeming to just notice her, the Deku nodded. Of course, nodding meant tilting his entire body as he had no neck. "Why yes, that's correct my fairy friend." His voice was kind, almost jovial. "Why do you want to know?"

"We need to borrow it." Link cut in. He nodded up towards the Clock Town's platform. "It's important that we get up there."

The Deku made a tsking noise, Link wondering how it was possible for Dekus to generate such a sound. "I'm afraid not. I own this land here, flower included. I can't simply let a stranger into it, you see. Why are you here all alone anyway, young one? Where are your parents?"

Link nearly bristled at the question and chose to ignore it. "Please, sir, it will only take a moment. Just one launch and I'll never need it again."

"I'm afraid not, young one." The Deku replied. "I bought this land myself, you know, so only I can use it."

"Giants abound, are you serious?!" Tatl yelled out, her light going red. "We need this thing for literally ten seconds! This is an emergency, so just let the brat use it once!" She screamed as loud as her miniscule lungs would allow.

The stubborn Deku raised his hands. "Ms. Fairy, please calm yourself. While this land is mine and mine alone…I would be willing to trade." His orange eyes narrowed on the Moon's Tear that Link held in his hands. "Such as that valuable stone there. Give it to me, and this land is yours, including the flower."

That was it? Granted, Link wanted to keep it to give as a gift, but this was more important! "It's a deal. This Moon's Tear for the flower."

"Ha ha!" The large Deku belted out, rubbing his hands together greedily. "It's a deal! Just a moment!" Burrowing into the flower, the Deku emerged mere moments later, holding an important looking paper in his hands. On it was a lot of writing which, of course, Link couldn't comprehend. "This is the deed to this land. Here, take it!"

And so, the trade was made. Taking the paper, Link gave away the large and valuable blue stone. "Right, so we can use the flower now?" Tatl asked impatiently.

"Of course! Use it however you wish!" The large Deku said, burrowing down into the flower once more. When he came out, he had some parcels and a large bag tucked under his arms. "Glad we could make this arrangement! See you around!" With that, the orange hat-like cone on the creature's head sprouted those propellers once more and the Deku took off to the air. Hovering slowly, he made his way off to the South, and eventually out of sight.

Letting out a large sigh of relief, Tatl floated above the flower in a circle. "Great! All the pieces are in place! Go on, give yourself a launch!"

Not knowing what else to do with the deed, Link simply tossed the object over his shoulder. With that, he burrowed down into the flower and groped about in the familiar darkness within. Soon enough, the Deku was launched high up in the air, higher than the last time he did this, and used the large flowers in his hands to hover onto the Clock Tower's platform. With that, he was right where he needed to be for tonight.

"Now we'll just wait here." Link remarked, sitting down on the platform and resting his tired legs. All that running around from earlier, with the Moon's Tear in tow, wore him out.

"Yeah, guess we have nothing else to do." Tatl commented, floating up to the platform and sitting next to Link. "We just have to wait for the Carnival of Time to begin."

Looking down at Tatl, Link found his curiosity reaching its peak. "What _is_ the Carnival of Time?"

"Oh. Yeah. Guess you wouldn't know." Tatl replied flatly. "Basically, it's this yearly thing with a big party and a bunch of masks. People climb up to the tower and pray for a good harvest from the Four Giants. That's it really."

Four Giants? Link recalled Tatl referring to Giants in a way he would use the names of the Golden Goddesses when upset. "So, they're the gods of Termina?"

"Why would they be prayed to if they weren't gods? Think before you speak." The fairy replied with a nasty edge to her voice.

"…Right."

It was almost amazing to Link how awful the fairy really was. He would have expected that, at some point, she'd stop treating him like garbage. After all, while Link had his own goals in mind, he was also helping her reunite with her brother and friend. Apparently that wasn't worth any kind of warmness, or even an apology for getting him into this mess in the first place. She didn't even seem to regret in playing a hand with getting his horse stolen and probably killed. That much would have satisfied him. Honestly, he was surprised she didn't just fly up and rejoin her companions now that she knew where they were. He had to guess that maybe she was afraid to face the Skull Kid on her own. After all, he nearly killed a Great Fairy and was probably behind the Moon's descent on the town. He didn't bother to ask, knowing full well she'd just get mad.

The hours ticked on by, neither of the two saying a word. Link watched the few people still in this part of Clock Town going in and out of their homes, a number of them going out of the town's gate. Mutoh stayed right where he was the entire time, sometimes yelling at the Moon, demanding that it fall already if it wanted to so badly. As time passed, the tremors of the earth got more and more frequent, though strangely they didn't seem to have any large impact on the various buildings of Clock Town. Was it the Moon causing them? Link wouldn't know any science behind proving or disproving this. All he knew was the closer the Moon got; the more tremors seemed to occur.

As the sun got close to setting, Tatl broke the silence. "So, you're from Hyrule, right Deku Boy?"

Link was less surprised at the sudden noise than the fact Tatl almost pleasantly asked him about himself. "I am."

"So, you know how those Lost Woods are dangerous, right? That's what the fairies and Skull Kids there told me."

"That's right. Hylians avoid it."

The fairy looked up at her companion. "Then why were you there? Are you really just so stupid you'd go around somewhere like that?"

Of course. Link should have known the pleasant conversation couldn't last long. "…" He chose not to answer. Really, it was none of her business.

"Hey, come on, I asked you a question! Don't be a brat!"

A pause. "It's not worth discussing."

The fairy scoffed, rolling her eyes even though Link couldn't see it. "Fine. Whatever you say, Deku Boy."

With those words, the sun set over the horizon and the earth shook once again.

**Night of the Final Day – 12 Hours Remain**

Link gazed up at the stars above as they started to seemingly blink into existence. It was a sight he remembered being fascinated by when he left the woods those two years ago. The sky wasn't viewable within the forest, a mysterious haze covering it up. Link didn't even fully see the sun until he set foot in Hyrule Field. It was a sight that he never got tired of, one that filled him with a sense of awe every time. A part of him wondered if this would be the last time he'd see the stars. Yes, he and Tatl could _reach_ the Skull Kid, but what then? Link had no real way of fighting him, and he knew he'd never be able to talk sense into the imp. If Tatl wasn't able to talk the masked troublemaker down…then there was no hope left.

As a beam of light swept across the sky, Link realized the Clock Tower acted as a lighthouse. Looking up, he saw the top of the building circling about, the light beam extending out into the distance. Link had never seen a real lighthouse, only in pictures. That was a pastime of his in Hyrule Castle; he would look at pictures in books and Zelda would explain what he was looking at. Would that be something he'd be able to do again? Just sit within the castle's library and look at the unusual pictures within the many tomes available? He knew his life would certainly never be normal, or rather his _new_ normal, again. Epona's death meant Malon would probably hate him, and Link couldn't blame her for it. He deserved her hatred and would accept it, no matter how much it was going to hurt.

The Deku knew he should be resting for the confrontation ahead, but even as he closed his eyes, he couldn't get to sleep. There was simply too much on his mind for his exhausted body to rest. Another thing that kept bouncing around in his wooden skull was these strange copies of people he saw about. Some he could explain away, but there were the cases of the professor, the guards, and the Ingo lookalike he simply couldn't make excuses for that made sense. Just what was going on? He kept trying to think of any kind of explanation that made sense, and only one came to him, but he still felt it was too unusual to be reality.

Link recalled how Saria would tell him stories as he grew up. Some of them were Kokiri legends, some were from the books found on dead travelers in the Lost Woods, while some she made up just for him. He remembered several different myths and legends from books that involved adventurers finding pathways to entirely different worlds within forests. Could…this be such a situation? Was Link in some kind of a mirror world? It sounded implausible, but at the moment it was the only explanation that made any kind of sense. Why else would there be copies of people he knew around the town? And, of course, Link got here by falling into a massive tree that somehow connected to the Clock Tower. It wouldn't be the first time a myth or legend turned out to be true, after all. The Deku recalled finding the Lens of Truth, an object that those of Kakariko Village considered part of a spooky story and nothing more. If that myth could be true, why not the one about trees leading to other worlds?

Perhaps, one day, Link would come back and explore Termina. For now, though, he simply wanted to return home. Normally Link was very curious, one of the few childlike qualities he had left. Yet here, he just didn't care about finding out what the rest of Termina was like. Heck, he didn't even have any itch to explore Clock Town. For the time being, getting home was all he wanted and perhaps he'd make a return trip and see all that lied beyond the Clock Town walls. Maybe, just maybe, he'd be able to find Navi and bring her with him.

As these thoughts went through his mind, despite his earlier troubles, Link was finally able to fall asleep…

"Hey! It's almost time!" Tatl's voice jerked Link out of his sleep once more. He cracked open his orange eyes to see the fairy hovering in front of him. "Just another few minutes and the doors will open."

The Deku stood up, stretching his muscles or whatever the Deku equivalent was, as he looked down at the town below. Just as before, the main square was empty save for Mutoh, the dog, and the lone guard. He then looked back to Tatl. "Are you ready? You only have one shot at this."

"What? What do you mean?" Tatl asked sincerely.

"To talk the Skull Kid into stepping down. That's the plan, you'll try and get him to stop all this." Did Tatl already forget how she said she'd talk sense into him?

"Oh…Right." Tatl responded, sounding nervous. "I'll try my best. After all he's done…I just hope he'll listen. Even this Moon situation is probably his doing, as hard it is to believe."

"I wish there was more I could do." Link truly meant it, feeling completely useless. "If you can't convince him to stop, I don't know how I could. All I have left are bubbles."

Tatl had no answer for that, seeming too nervous to keep the conversation going.

Before long, an unseen bell within the Clock Tower chimed, forcing the duo to cover their ears. As this happened, fireworks from unseen sources exploded in the air, a dazzling show of lights and sound piercing through the heavens. Finally, to Link's amazement, the Clock Tower started to change. The massive clock and the spinning top of it lifted up high enough where it almost touched the Moon. Just before that happened, the top of the tower swung down towards the North, transforming the giant clockface into a platform. A building changing in such a way was simply something Link never thought possible! The final event to occur was the wooden door on the Clock Tower's platform opening downward, revealing another door. Then that door fell, and a multitude of others that formed a staircase leading upwards. Once the final door slammed down, and the last firework went off, a deafening silence filled the town.

Keeping the silence going, the two ascended the staircase and towards their final confrontation.

The clockface-turned-platform seemed so much bigger when Link was standing on it. That was the first thing he noticed. The second was the Skull Kid, floating in midair with his back turned away from the duo. As if suddenly noticing their presence, the imp turned about, floating as if lounging on a couch. He stared down at the two as he tossed the Ocarina of Time up into the air and catching it in his palm repeatedly. The cursed boy felt a righteous fury spreading through his body as he laid eyes on the Skull Kid, especially with how he kept using the Ocarina like a toy!

Before Link or Tatl could say anything, Tael appeared from behind the Skull Kid. "Sis! You're here!"

"Tael!" Tatl called back, floating upwards a bit. "We've been looking all over for you two! Say, Skull Kid, why don't you give that Ocarina and mask back now." The imp said nothing. Though the mask obviously hadn't changed, Link swore it was looking down at the duo with amusement. The same type of sick amusement a disturbed child got from watching a bug squirm after tearing its legs off. "Hey! Skull Kid, answer me!"

Tael flew up higher. "Listen, you two! Swamp! Mountain! Ocean! Canyon! Hurry! The Four who are there, bring them here!" The male fairy shouted desperately.

Link had no time to figure out what the fairy meant before the imp reacted. The masked creature floated up and cruelly swatted Tael almost out of the air, the fairy just managing to recover. "Don't you speak out line! Stupid fairy!" The Skull Kid's voice lost all of the cruel playfulness it had earlier, now speaking in a cold and hateful tone.

Tatl bristled, letting out an angry chime. "What do you think you're doing?! How could you hit my brother like that?! Skull Kid, if this Moon thing really is your doing, the joke's gone far enough! People are scared, it's time to stop! Just return Link here to normal and stop that Moon! Come on!"

The Deku was actually surprised to hear Tatl refer to him by his proper name. Apparently the serious situation made her drop he cruel jokes. Still, what did her brother mean by the Four? Could it be…

"Well, whatever." The Skull Kid said, interrupting Link's thoughts as he went back to tossing the Ocarina of Time up in the air over and over. "Even if you called them, it wouldn't make a difference! They couldn't handle me anyway!" The imp let out a cruel laugh. "Just look above you…" He gestured to the Moon with his free hand as it inched closer and closer to the Clock Tower and the town beneath it. "If it's something that can be stopped, then just try to stop it!"

With that, the Skull Kid caught the Ocarina and kept it in his fist. Taking in an impossibly deep breath, the imp splayed his limbs out and faced towards the Moon and let out an otherworldly shriek. It was a cry that resonated power that Link, Tatl, and Tael, could feel to their cores. Link watched in horror as strange waves of purple energy radiated from the mask and towards the Moon. At first, nothing happened. Then, as the imp's screaming came to an end…the Moon started to fall much faster. At the rate it was going now, there were maybe five minutes before it made impact!

"What do we do?!" Tatl demanded, looking up at the Skull Kid as he kept staring upward towards the Moon. "What _can_ we do?! I can't stop him! No one can!"

Horrified, Link was panicking as well. Tatl couldn't stop his monstrous imp from playing this sick game, so he knew he had no chance! He couldn't defeat the Skull Kid in this form. Heck, he wouldn't be able to even as a Hylian! And then there was something about gathering Four beings? What did that mean?! He couldn't do that either! But…there was one thing Link could still do. One last, desperate final resort. If this failed, all was lost. Taking a deep breath, Link prepared a bubble. Tatl watched on in silence as the projectile built and built, nearing the point of popping.

Praying to the Golden Goddesses, Link aimed…and fired.

To Link's astonishment…it actually worked! The bubble hit the Skull Kid dead center in the chest. Whether the bubble was stronger than Link thought or, more likely, the imp was simply caught off guard, he was stunned. In this moment of pause, the Ocarina slipped out of the masked creature's grip and fell to the platform below. For a second, Link thought the instrument may crack or break on impact, but it was unharmed.

Before the imp could do anything, Link sprinted towards the Ocarina and, finally, picked it up and held it within his wooden hands. It was at this moment that a memory replayed in his head…

"_You're really going to do this, aren't you?" Zelda asked._

_She and Link were standing in the Princess' garden, the place where the two of them first met. Link was geared up and ready to go. The only thing left for him to do was go and get Epona. The Princess stared with tired, but beautiful blue eyes deep into the dull and broken eyes Link had possessed for years. _

"_I have to, Zelda. I've told you that." Link answered, keeping his face and voice completely neutral. His mask had to remain intact at all times, at least around other people. It had been a while since it broke. Weeks, maybe even months. "I thought I had your blessing."_

"_You do. Of course you do." The Princess responded. "I just worry for you. I don't know if you're ready. Your mind still needs healing, I know we're both aware of that."_

_The boy nodded. "I know. I just need to try. I can't keep waiting, who knows how far Navi is now? I promise that I will return within a month, just as we talked about." He had to get his friend back soon. This awful void within him due to her absence would just keep growing. Before too long, it would swallow Link up and erase him from existence…_

"_I don't doubt your words. I just can't help but worry. We're all worried about your trip. Are you sure you won't let Saria go with you?"_

"_I can't do that to her anymore. She's searched on her own so many times. I have to do this alone." Everyone made all sorts of sacrifices for Link, none of which he deserved. Zelda especially allowed him to live within the castle, even giving him his own room. Along with being one of his best friends, she was practically his caretaker and doctor as well, working hard these two years to pick up the pieces of his broken mind. One day, he hoped to repay her._

_The girl, recently turned teenager, sighed. "I see. At least allow me to give you this." Reaching into a pocket, she pulled out the Ocarina of Time. "Please, take this with you."_

"_Are you sure?" Link asked, staring down at the instrument. He knew how precious it was to the Royal Family. "Why do you want me to take it?"_

"_It would make me feel better. You would have a way to talk to Saria or warp out of those woods if you need it." The Princess reached out, offering the instrument to her friend._

_Link felt strange about taking such an important item, but…if it would ease Zelda's mind, even a little, he felt he had no choice. Waling over to his friend, he gently took the instrument. "Thank you, Zelda."_

"_If you ever find yourself in trouble, please don't hesitate to use it. It has many more powers than just being able to transport you across Hyrule."_

_The boy recalled how, in that decayed timeline, an older Zelda used the instrument to send him back in time. It truly was a powerful relic. "I will. I promise." Link said, putting the item away safely. _

_The Princess entrapped the boy in a tight hug. "Be safe. I hope you return with Navi in tow." _

_Holding Zelda close, Link nodded. "I hope so too."_

_The hug ended, and the boy silently left his dear friend behind._

"Okay, you got your Ocarina back, but it doesn't matter!" Tatl yelled, snapping Link out of his trance. "We have no more time left! We're going to die!"

Time…More time…

That was it. That was the answer! If Zelda could transport Link back in time…why couldn't he do the same for himself? Internally praying to Hylia, Link raised the Ocarina to his lips. To his surprise, a strange set of horns appeared instead. An unusual instrument with five holes with which to expel music.

"What is that?! Where did it come from?!" Tatl asked, gazing at the strange instrument.

There was no time for explanations, even Link had no idea what was going on. Oddly, he found himself knowing exactly how to use the instrument he now possessed. Closing his eyes, he played the horns. The notes of the Song of Time blared out into the night sky, and Link's vision went white.

Falling…

The sensation of falling was the only thing Link knew at that moment. Falling and the pure whiteness all around him. There was no warmth just as there was no coldness. No wind whistling by the Deku and he couldn't even tell if he was screaming or not. All he knew was that he was falling with no signs of stopping.

Visions flashed before Link's eyes as he continued to fall. Zelda giving him the Ocarina. Him and Malon sharing this first and only true kiss as he said goodbye. Riding through the Lost Woods. The Skull Kid appearing. Falling into that black void. The twisted tunnel. The Happy Mask Salesman.

All of a sudden, Link was standing before the Clock Tower again, facing outwards. Something was clutched in his hand as a dizzy spell took him. He had to stop himself from falling over as he gazed ahead of him. There was a light crowd bustling through South Clock Town as the morning sun peeked over the horizon. An angry and familiar man stood before a platform dead ahead of the Deku. A boy in a Keaton Mask ran down a small staircase.

Link almost jumped when a small voice rang out above his head. "What's…going on?" He looked up to see Tatl was there, staring off a to the scene before her as well. "It's like everything just…started over…"

The Moon.

Those were the first two words to pop into Link's head upon hearing Tatl's statement. Running forward, with the fairy following behind, he stopped and turned upward. High above the sky, just as it had been the first time he saw it was the Moon. Its angry, scowling face glaring down at those below it. "You're right. Somehow…we went back in time." What other explanation was there? It was as Link thought, if Zelda could send him back in time, why couldn't he do the same? And he did! Using the Song of Time, he and Tatl were flung back to just when they left the Clock Tower for the very first time.

"Hey, look! In your hand!" Tatl exclaimed.

Link completely forgot he was holding something. Looking, he almost let out a gasp when he saw the familiar blue of the Ocarina of Time grasped in his wooden hand. Somehow, he supposed because he was holding it, he took the Ocarina back with him! Somehow it was back in its original shape, no longer that strange instrument it had turned into. "The Ocarina…"

"Why didn't you tell me you could do stuff like that?! You never said it could turn back time!"

"I didn't know I could do it." Link replied honestly. "I'm just glad it worked."

"You didn't know…?" The fairy trailed off, obviously confused. After a moment, she let out a chime. "Hey! That means we should see that creepy salesman guy, right Deku Boy?" She started to float towards the Clock Tower doors. "Come on, let's go!"

For a moment, Link pondered. Sure, he could return to normal…but what then? He still had no way of defeating the Skull Kid. No way to reach him as he floated above the Clock Tower. His bow and arrows were left abandoned in the Lost Woods and he had no other long range weapons. Maybe he could buy one in town…Surely there was a store that sold such things around here.

Without giving a response, Link followed Tatl and entered the Clock Tower. As the wooden doors creaked shut behind him, the Deku looked towards the Happy Mask Salesman. Of course, the man was still standing there, smiling like he always was. The salesman looked over to Link, letting out a hum of curiosity. "Yes? Was there something else you needed?"

It took Link a moment to realize that, from the salesman's perspective, the cursed boy was gone for less than five minutes. As far as the man knew, Link hadn't even had enough time to have looked through South Clock Town for any clues on the Skull Kid's whereabouts. Either way, Link approached the adult, holding his Ocarina up where the man could see it. "I got the Ocarina back."

Link was surprised at the lack of the salesman's shock. Rather than questioning how the Deku could get the item back so quickly and without any visible effort, the man simply broadened his smile. "Excellent! You have your precious item back! See? Was it not a simple task?"

As Link pondered, he remembered that this was the same man who apparently knew of his past adventure, despite having no possible way of getting that information. Really, he shouldn't have been surprised at all with his relaxed response. "You can turn me back now, right?"

"Of course! Of course! Just as I promised!" The salesman belted out a jovial and very sincere sounding bout of laughter.

Link blinked and he almost let out a cry of surprise at what he saw. The Happy Mask Salesman was sitting at a massive organ placed against the far wall of the room. His massive pack sat by the bench he was perched on. "How…? Did you see that?" Tatl hissed where Link's ear should be.

"Now, please pay attention!" The salesman called out, hands resting on the keys of the large instrument. "The process to return you to normal is quite easy. All you must do is play the song I am about to perform. Are you ready?" Getting over his initial shock, Link nodded and readied the Ocarina which turned back into those odd horns. The transformation didn't seem to phase the salesman in the slightest. "Very good!" He turned towards the organ. "Now, play this song…"

His fingers slowly and gracefully dancing across the keys, the Happy Mask Salesman played a short song for Link. It was slow, sweet, and haunting. Just listening to the echoing notes made Link feel soothed and calm. The man played the song twice before pausing and allowing Link to have his turn. Closing his eyes and clearing his head, Link played those beautiful notes back to his audience of two.

The result was instantaneous.

At first, Link felt a bit dizzy, the horns turning back to the Ocarina, which fell to the floor. Visually and audibly, everything around him faded as his vision went black. In his mind's eye, Link saw the massive Deku Scrub he had seen in his nightmare. But instead of Link running towards it, the youth stood still and watched as the giant creature receded into the ground, letting out a sound that seemed almost soothed. As this happened, Link felt his limbs growing in a process that was surprisingly painless. He also felt his torso expand upwards as more feeling went back into his skin and his face contort back into a familiar shape.

A flash of white, the clattering of wood.

Link's vision returned to normal and he looked at the source of the noise he heard. Down on the floor before him was a wooden mask, one that gave the boy goosebumps. It was a mask in the appearance of a Deku, its sad orange eyes staring up at him from the cold bricks. Raising his hands, Link saw they were normal and wrapped in Hylian flesh. He ran his hands all over his arms and torso, feeling his usual tunic underneath his fingers, as well as hearing the clatter of his sword and shield on his back. In checking, he found that indeed the two items had returned to their rightful place, as well as the bag of supplies he had in the Lost Woods sans the bottles the imp had tossed away.

"You're…normal!" Tatl exclaimed, her voice genuine and in awe. "Well, I guess I can't call you Deku Boy anymore, huh?"

A light-hearted laughter cut through the room and Link looked back to the salesman. Only to the Hylian's partial surprise, the organ was gone, and the man stood where he usually had been with his large pack put back on. "You see, that song, the Song of Healing, is a very special one." The man explained. "It heals troubled spirits and turns them into masks."

A spirit? Link glanced down at the mask. There was a troubled spirit in that mask? Inside him just five minutes ago? He thought back to that tree that looked like a Deku. Could it be that the imp ripped the spirit from some poor Deku, and placed it within Link? After all he had seen in the past three days…it certainly seemed possible.

"I insist that you take that mask there." The Happy Mask Salesman gently urged. "It is yours to keep, it would not be right for me to take it myself."

Link stared at the mask below him. Did…he really want that thing? After being forced into such a cursed shape, did he really want a reminder of the ordeal? Still…there was a spirit within the mask. It felt wrong of the boy to just leave it behind or destroy it. He bent over to pick it up…

"Hey! Don't touch that thing! It might be dangerous!" Tatl shouted out, making Link freeze before he could actually touch the mask.

Once more, the salesman let out happy laughter. "Worry not, for the magic is sealed within the mask. It is safe to touch, I assure you. If you want to return to that previous shape, simply put it on. Then you may remove it whenever you wish to go back to normal."

Hesitating, Link touched the mask with the tip of his fingers. It…felt perfectly normal, at least. Slowly, he picked the object up and looked it over. He couldn't imagine ever wanting to become a Deku again, but he still couldn't find it in himself to just toss it away. "Thank you." He said, not truly meaning it.

"Excellent, excellent!" The salesman crowed. "Now then…I fulfilled my promise to you." His voice became more controlled and serious, yet the grin never left his face for even a moment. "Please, I ask you fulfill your end of the bargain." He held out his hand expectantly.

The mask. Nayru above, Link completely forgot! He was so surprised at everything that had happened since playing the Song of Time that he didn't even think about the fact he forgot that cursed mask! "…" The boy found himself unable to speak, awkwardly looking down at the mask he held in his hands instead.

There was a long, tense pause in the room. The only sound was the creaking of the various machinery within the tower and the ever-flowing water of the man-made river. "My mask…You did get it back…didn't you?" The Happy Mask Salesman inquired, sounding hesitant. Seconds passed, neither Link nor Tatl answered him. Link looked back up and, to his surprise, the salesman's expression changed drastically. Rather than his trademark smile, the man's face was etched with an unbridled fury with his eyes wide open in a mad rage. "What have you done to me?!" The adult roared.

Link was so surprised that he had no time to react as the man wrapped his arms around his throat. Effortlessly, Link was lifted off of his feet and throttled. The boy found himself unable to fight back. Not just because he couldn't breathe and was taken completely off-guard either. The youth was simply unwilling to draw his sword against another person. He refused to kill another human in a fit of panic and desperation! Instead, Link dropped his new mask and reached up and tried to pry the man's hands off of his throat, but it was like trying to remove iron shackles!

"What are you doing?! Let go of him! Stop it!" Tatl screamed, bashing herself uselessly against the salesman's head. "You're going to kill him!"

Whether it was Tatl's words or the realization of what he was doing, the salesman let Link drop to the floor. Instantly, the boy scooted away and doing everything in his power not to let his fear show on his face. He was at least able to mask that by coughing from the assault on his throat as he stood up and kept his distance from the violent man. Tatl flew behind Link, hiding away from the salesman.

Instead of apologizing or, even worse, going back on the attack, the salesman simply stood where he was and kept ranting. "If you leave my mask out there, something terrible will happen!" He screamed, that look of fury still etched on his face. After a minute and a number of deep breathes, the salesman started to calm himself. The smile didn't return to his face, but at the very least his fury melted into a look of deep concern. "I…I should explain. As you may have guessed, that isn't any ordinary mask. The mask that was stolen from me...it is called Majora's Mask. Have you heard of it?" He asked the question to Link as if he hadn't been strangling the boy a mere minute ago.

Having calmed down himself from the initial panic, Link shook his head. He was somewhat at a loss of what to really do. The man had attacked him, but it was clearly in a moment of weakness. Link would've felt hypocritical to demonize the salesman for his actions considering the awful things he himself had done in the past. For now, he just kept his distance. "No…I haven't." Still, he felt a slight shiver at the name of the mask…

The salesman gave a grave nod. "I expected as much. The subject is not quite common knowledge. It is an accursed item from long, long ago. An ancient tribe, its name lost to time, used it in hexing rituals." He spoke in an almost hushed tone, as if afraid someone would overhear the conversation. "It is said that an evil and eldritch power is bestowed upon anyone who wears that cursed mask!"

So, it really was because of that mask that Link was turned into a Deku and that Moon was called from above. He glanced over as Tatl slowly peered out from behind the boy, seeming to want to remain silent. "How powerful is it, exactly?" The boy asked, looking back to the salesman.

With a sigh, the man shook his head. "The tribe vanished under mysterious circumstances thousands of years ago. The mask would sometimes pop up in history in times and locations of great despair. That being said, no one truly knows its exact nature or how powerful it really is." He let out another sigh. "I went to great lengths to get that horrible mask. When I finally had it, however, I could sense the doom of a dark omen brewing. It was that unwelcome feeling that makes your hair stand on end!"

"Why would you want such a thing…?" Tatl asked, now coming fully out of hiding and hovering above Link's head.

The salesman completely ignored the fairy. "That imp stole it from me, not knowing what he was getting himself into! I am begging you! You must get that mask back quickly, or something unspeakable will happen!"

Link felt a sense of dread fill him. With the way the salesman talked about that mask, he now knew that simply getting a bow and arrow and killing the imp wouldn't cut it. Why did he think that would work? The Skull Kid, or rather Majora's Mask, could bring down the Moon. How was an arrow going to stop him? He recalled the words Tatl's brother said. The 'Four' had to be brought to the Clock Tower. Did that refer to the Four Giants? Link knew he _had_ to do this. He couldn't leave these people to die at the hands of some demonic mask! Still, the idea of going on another quest made him want to throw up. He didn't _want_ this! He just wanted to go home and live a peaceful life! Was that so greedy of him? He gazed down at his hands as he thought the situation over. Like usual, in times of great stress he felt the need to bite and claw at them, for reasons he couldn't explain. He never did such things, but just the desire to made him feel uneasy.

After a minute of silence, Link nodded as he kept his mask intact. "I'll do it." As he said this, he picked up the Deku Mask and his Ocarina, placing the former in his bag and clasped the latter to his belt.

The smile and squinted eyes returned to the Happy Mask Salesman's face as if nothing had happened. It made Link suspicious about how sincere the man's earlier episode had been. "Really? You'll do it for me?" Again, Link nodded. "I was certain you would say that." He let out another laugh. "Surely you will be fine! After all you've accomplished in the past, I know you can do this! Believe in your strengths! Believe…"

Once more, Link felt as though this salesman knew far more about the boy than he should. He was tempted to ask him some questions, but at the moment he felt he didn't want to know the answers. The boy wondered how long this quest would take. After all, he promised he would return to Zelda within a month. If this truly was some parallel world…was time running just as it did in Hyrule? No…No, there was no time for such troubling thoughts. After all, this was all unavoidable anyway. Link couldn't leave this world to just die, he had to save it! He just…hoped he could. All his friends…even Navi…would just have to wait for now. Link simply prayed he would actually be able to save this land and return home with his mind as intact as it was now.

Approaching the doors outside, Link looked up to Tatl. "Are you ready? You'll come with me, right?" He imagined she would. After all, this _was_ her homeland…

The fairy gave no answer, Link sensing anger from the tiny creature. He couldn't blame her. He felt distraught, even angry, at the situation too. All he wanted was to find his friend, and now he was thrust into another quest he wanted no part in but found himself unable to deny. If he could complete it within a month after his departure from the castle, that would be the best-case scenario. He was trying not to panic, knowing it would get him nowhere. He had no choice in his future, so he would simply have to hide his emotions and stress behind his mask and march forward. What else could he do?

Taking a deep breath, Link placed both hands on the doors before him and opened them, letting the early morning sun flood into the room as he stepped outside once more.

**Dawn of the First Day – 72 Hours Remain**


End file.
